PRINCETON,    N.    J. 


Shelf. 


Division . .  riK^.-rrr?.  «*).  ( . 
Sec/ion . . .«.  .fe .  >5.  i.  ^ . 
Number Vj.,J?. 


HOUES  WITH  THE  BIBLE 


THE  SCRIPTURES  IN  THE  LIGHT  OF  MODERN  DISCOVERY 
AND  KNOWLEDGE 


O^ohr.     CUNNINGHAM  GEIKIE,  D.D. 

VICAR  OF  ST.  MABT  MAGDALEKE,  BABNSTAPLZ,  DETON 


VOL.  VI. 

FROM  THE  EXILE  TO  MALACHI, 
COMPLETINa  THE    OLD  TESTAMENT 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW  YORK 

JAMES  POTT  &   CO.,  PUBLISHERS 

12  AsTOR  Place 

1884 


HOURS  WITH  THE  BIBLE; 


The  Scriptures  in  the  Light  of  Modern 
Discotfery  and  Knowledge. 


Vol.      I,  From  Creation  to  the  J*atriarchs. 
'*      II.  From  Moses  to  the  Jiulges. 
"  III.  From  Samson  to  Solomon. 
"    IV.  From  IteJioboatn  to  Hezehiah. 
<*        V.  From  Manasseh  to  ZedeUiah. 
*'     VI.  Completing  Old  Testaments 


12n-io,  Cloth,  with  Illustrations.     $1.50  each. 

Sold  separately,  and  each  complete  and  distinct  in  itself. 


PREFACE. 


With  this  volume  the  Old  Testament  series  of  these 
"  Hours ''  is  complete.  Thank  God  for  the  health  that 
has  enabled  me  to  keep  at  this  part  of  my  task  for 
five  years  past !  If  I  be  spared,  the  New  Testament 
series  will  follow  in  due  course. 

Meanwhile,  I  would  gratefully  thank  my  brother 
clergy  of  every  rank  ;  the  ministers  of  all  sections  of 
the  Church,  and  the  reading  public,  for  the  kindly 
reception  given  to  my  books  throughout  the  English- 
speaking  world.  The  favourable  recognition  they  have 
met  in  so  many  lands,  as  shown  by  the  language  of  the 
public  press,  and  by  private  letters  from  correspondents 
in  all  positions,  has  been  most  grateful  to  me. 

No  attempt,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  has  hitherto  been 
made  to  incorporate  the  utterances  *of  the  prophets  with  \ 


VI  PEEPACE. 

the  special  incidents  of  contemporary  history  to  which 
so  many  of  them  relate.  Eichhorn,  alone,  has  to  some 
extent  followed  this  course,  but  in  his  case,  each 
discourse  has  been  treated  in  a  distinct  and  isolated 
chapter.  The  light  thrown  on  writings  often  so  difficult 
as  they  stand  in  our  Bibles,  by  introducing  them  in  their 
historical  connection,  must  be  evident.  They  become 
again,  what  they  originally  were — the  pulpit  literature 
of  the  day  in  which  they  were  spoken,  and,  as  such, 
at  once  reflect  light  on  the  sacred  narrative  and  are 
illustrated  by  it. 

In  the  translations  I  have  offered,  great  care  has  been 
taken  to  keep  closely  to  the  Hebrew  text,  but  such  ex- 
pansion has  been  made  throughout  as  seemed  necessary 
to  explain  allusions,  connect  the  argument,  or  make  clear 
the  meaning. 

And  now  may  the  blessing  of  the  All-loving  One  go 
forth  with  my  book. 

Barnstaple, 

April  12th,  1884 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  FAQB 

I.  A  Voice  from  Chebar,  against  Judah      •        •       •  1-20 

II.  The  Crisis  as  it  appeared  to  Ezekiel     ,        ,        .  21-41 

III.  The  Eve  op  the  Siege  of  Jerusalem.         .        ,        .  42-56 

IV.  The  Investment  of  Jerusalem 57-79 

V.  During  the  Siege 80-108 

VI.  The  Fall  of  Jerusalem 109-118 

VII.  The  "  Lamentations  "  of  Jeremiah     ....  119-141 

VIII.  Edom  and  the  Nations  Round 142-166 

IX.   The  Murder  of  Gedaliah,  and  the  Siege  of  Tyre  .  167-189 

X.  The  Jewish  Colonies  in  Egypt 190-208 

XI.  On  the  Chebar 209-229 

XII.  The  Vision  of  the  Future 230-258 

XIII.  At  Babylon 259-287 

XIV.  Comfort  Ye  My  People 288-309 

XV.  The  Fifth  Gospel 310-371 

XVI.  Redemption  Drawing  Nigh 372-403 

XVII.  The  Return 404-420 

XVIII.  Hagoai  and  Zecharlah 421-444 

XIX.  Queen  Esther 445-473 

XX.  Ezra  and  Nehemiah 474-515 

XXI.  The  Prophet  Malachi 616-630 

Index     .        •        •        •        • 531 


Tl! 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


pxeu 

Sandals    ,',.,.. 11 

Ancient  Sepulchres  in  the  Valley  of  Hinnom  ....  78 

Assyrian  Funeral  Urns  for  the  Ashes  of  the  Dead           .        ,  81 

Siege  of  a  City  by  the  Assyrian  Army        .        .        .         .        .  110 
The  Assyrian  King  Blinding  a  Manacled  and  Fettered  Prisoner, 
WHO  with  the  two  others  is  further  secured  by  a  metal 

ring  through  the  lip 114 

Wailing  Place  at  the  Walls  of  the  Temple,  Jerusalem    .        .  124 

Guest  House 175 

Modern  Tyre 180 

Assyrian  Embroidered  Robes 181 

IsTAR,  Astarte,  or  Ashtoreth 193 

Syene  (Assouan)  during  the  Overflow  of  the  Nile      .        .        .  203 

The  God  Amon 208 

Judgment  Scene  from  Egyptian  "  Book  of  Death  "     .        .         .  228 

The  Assyrian  Tree  of  Life 254 

Cuneiform  Inscription — Warka 262 

Ancient  Hieratic,  or  Sacred  Writing,  Inscription — Warka  .         .  263 

Interior  of  an  Assyrian  or  Babylonian  Palace     ....  268 

A  Grove  of  Palms 272 

A  Player  on  the  Egyptian  Guitar,  Assyria 282 

Threshing  Sledge 806 

The  Plane  Tree 308 

Children  Carried  on  the  Side 855 

The  Great  King  attended  by  his  Courtiers  and  Genii  .        .        .  388 

The  Great  King  Hunting  the  Lion 400 

Darius  Receiving  Prisoners 402 

Teraphim,  or  Household  Gods .  418 

The    Seven-Branched  Candlestick,  and  other  Spoil    from  the 

Temple      .         , 441 

Persian  Noble 449 

The  Persian  King.— Behistan          .        .        .        .        .        .        .  450 

Cupbearers  at  the  Ancient  Persian  Court 489 

Bowing  the  Head  .        ♦        ,                 506 

Roll  of  a  Book      •••• 507 


vui 


HOUES  WITH  THE  BIBLE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A   VOICE    FROM    CHEBAR^    AGAINST   JUDAH. 

NOTHING  was  more  fatal  to  the  religious  life  of  tlie 
exiles  in  Chaldea,  or  their  brethren  still  left  in 
efudah,  than  the  confident  air  of  members  of  the  order  of 
prophets,  who  held  out  hopes  directly  opposed  to  the 
warnings  of  men  like  Ezekiel  and  Jeremiah.  The  result 
had  been  a  general  disbelief  in  prophecy.  It  had  become 
a  common  saying  that  "  The  days  of  trouble  are  long  in 
coming  ;  all  prophecy  is  deceit."  ^  Men  who  thus  misled 
the  community  by  audacious  misrepresentations  made  in 
the  sacred  name  of  God,  needed  to  be  openly  assailed, 
and  Ezekiel,  therefore,  determined  thoroughly  to  expose 
them.  Referriug  to  the  proverb  so  current,  he  informed 
his  fellow-captives  that  Jehovah  commanded  him  to  ad- 
dress them  thus,  in  His  name  : — 

23  I  will  2  make  this  proverb  cease,  so  that  it  will  no  longer  be 
used  in  Israel.  Say  to  them:  The  days  of  visitation  and  of  the 
fulfilment  of  every  prediction  are  at  hand.  24  For  there  shall  no 
more  be  lying  vision,  or  false  flattering  divination,  in  the  House 


1  Ezek.  xii.  22. 


2  Ezek.  xii.  23-28. 


VOL.    VI. 


22  A   VOICE    FROM   CHEBAR,   AGAINST  JUDAH. 

of  Israel.  25  But  I,  Jehovah,  will  speak,  and  what  I  speak  will 
come  forthwith  to  pass;  it  will  be  no  longer  delayed.  In  your 
own  days,  O  House  of  Disobedience,  I  will  both  speak  and  fulfil 
My  word,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah ! 

Another  saying,  current  everywhere,  was  not  less  un- 
worthy. Men  sneeringly  insinuated  that  ""^the  visions 
which  Ezekiel*  saw  were  for  the  long  future;  his  pro- 
phecies, for  distant  tiraes.'^  In  contradiction  to  this, 
they  were  now  told  from  Jehovah  Himself,  that  none  of 
His  words,  spoken  through  His  true  prophets,  would 
fail  of  present  fulfilment.  The  pretended  prophets  who 
spoke  '^according  to  their  own  hearts,"  were  next 
directly  attacked. 

3  Woe^ — cried  Ezekiel — to  the  impious  ^  prophets,  who  follow  not 
Jebovah,  but  their  own  fancy,  and  give  out  visions  that  they  have 
not  seen  !  4  Thy  prophets,  0  Israel,  these  impious  prophets,  have 
not  built  up  the  tottering  stare,  but  have  brought  it  nearer  its 
fall,  as  foxes,  burrowing  in  rotten  walls,  undermine  them  daily  ^ 
5  Ye  have  not  gone  out  before  the  gaps  of  the  tottering  jedar,^  to 
defend  it;  nor  have  ye  tried  to  build  it  up  and  repair  it,  round 
Israel,  or  taken  your  stand  in  the  van  of  the  battle  in  the  day  of 
Jehovah ! 


1  Lit.,  "this  one." 

2  Ezek.  xiii.  1-5. 

^  Folly  and  impiety  were  related  ideas  among  the  Hebrews; 
the  word  here  primarily  means  "  foolish." 

■*  Wilton  {Negeh,  p.  138)  thinks  the  jackal  is  intended;  but  the 
word  Shual  is  from  Shaal  =  *'to  go  down  into  the  depth,"  in 
allusion  to  the  burrowing  of  the  fox  in  the  earth. 

^  Heb.  gadair.  For  meaning  of  jedar,  see  vol.  iv.  p.  218.  The 
loose  wall  of  dry  stones  round  the  vineyard  had  been  undermined 
by  winter  storms,  for  the  prophet  has  changed  his  figure,  but  these 
men  have  not,  like  faithful  keepers  of  the  vineyard,  stood  outside 
the  gaps  by  night  to  keep  wild  beasts  from  breaking  in,  nor  have 
they  filled  them  up  and  strengthened  the  weak  and  shaking 
jedar,  to  make  the  vineyard  safe. 


A    VOICE    FROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JUDAH.  3 

Instead  of  this,  they  had  promised  a  happy  future,  in 
lying  oracles  — 

6  They  have  seen  a  mock  vision ^  and  spoken  iahe  predictions, 
when  they  said,  "Jehovah  saith,"  without  His  having  sent  them, 
and  that  they  mi^^ht  hope  to  fulfil  their  words.  7  Is  it  not  true 
that  you  have  pretended  to  see  a  mock  vision,  and  spoken  false 
divinations,  saying,  "Jehovah  speaks,"  when  I,  Jehovah,  have 
not  spoken  ? 

8  Therefore,  thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah;  Because  ye  have 
spoken  falsehood,  and  pretended  to  see  lies;  behold  I  atn  againsn 
yon,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah.  9  And  My  hand  will  come  on  tho 
prophets  who  see  falsehood  and  divine  lies.  They  shall  not  be 
the  counsellors  of  My  people,  nor  shall  they  be  inscribed  in  the 
Book  of  the  House  of  Israel,  nor  come  into  the  land  of  Israel  aD 
the  Return— that  ye  may  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  Jehovah — 
10  because  they  have  led  astray  My  people,  saying  "  All  is  well," 
though  all  is  not  well.  For  if  my  people  build  a  wall,^  behold, 
these  prophets  smooth  it  off  with  plaster ;  if  they  have  delusions, 
these  men  confirm  them  in  them.  1 1  Say  to  these  plasterers  up  of 
lies,  that  these  lies  will  fall.  For  a  deluge  of  rain  is  coming ;  and  ye 
hailstones,  fall  ye;  thou  hurricane,  break  loose !  12  And,  lo,  when 
your  wall  has  fallen,  will  they  not  say  to  you,  "  Where  is  that 
which  you  plastered  over?"  13  Therefore,  thus  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  I  will  let  loose  a  hurricane  wind  in  My  fury,  and  a  rain, 
sweeping  all  before  it,  will  come  in  My  anger,  and  hailstones  in 
My  destroying  wrath  !  14  And  I  will  cast  down  the  wall  that  you 
have  plastered  up,  and  throw  it  to  the  earth,  laying  bare  its  very 
foundation,  and  it  will  fall,  and  you  will  perish  under  it,  and  you 
will  know  that  I  am  Jehovah  l^  15  I  will  let  loose  my  fury  on  the 
wall  and  on  them  that  plastered  it  over,^  and  it  will  be  said  of 


1  Ezek.  xiii.  6-16. 

2  Tliar.  is,  dream  of  safety  and  protection  as  the  result  of  plots, 
alliances,  and  the  like.  The  expression  is  like  our  "castles  in 
the  air." 

^  The  wall  is  Jerusalem  itself;  the  plaster  is  the  illusory 
promising  of  the  false  prophets  which  faced  the  badly  built  wall, 
and  seemed  to  give  strength;  the  bad  building  is  the  moral 
corruption  of  the  city.  *  With  "  white  plaster  "  =  lime. 


4  A  VOICE    FROM   CHEBAR,   AGAINST   JUDAH. 

yon,  i6  "The  wall  is  no  more,  neither  they  who  plastered  it  over 
— the  prophets  of  Israel,  who  prophesy  visions  of  peace  to  her 
though  there  is  no  peace,"  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah ! 

But  false  prophets  were  not  the  only  enemies  with 
whom  their  faithful  brethren  had  to  contend.  While 
these  deceived  the  people  as  a  whole,  false  prophetesses 
misled  individuals,  and  snared  souls  by  unholy  arts, 
promising  life  and  prosperity  where  God  had  denounced 
death.     They,  therefore,  are  next  assailed. 

17  Likewise,^  thou  son  of  man,  set  thy  face  against  the  daughters 
of  thy  people  who  prophesy  after  their  owti  heart,  for  gain,  and 
with  heathen  spells.  Prophesy  thou  against  them,  18  and  say, 
Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah;  Woe  to  the  women  that  sew 
together  magic  ornaments  for  every  joint  of  the  hand,"  and  make 
magic  coverings  for  the  heads  of  persons  of  every  age,  to  snare 
their  souls. ^  Will  you  thus  hunt  down  the  souls  of  My  people 
to  preserve  your  own  sonls  alive,  19  dishonouring  Me  before  My 
people  for  a  few  handfuls  of  barley  and  for  bits  of  bread,  for  your 

»  Ezek.  xiii.  17-19. 

2  In  verse  20  they  are  said  to  be  on  the  arms. 

^  De  Wette  and  Ewald  seem  to  have  hit  on  the  most  reasonable 
explanation  of  this  passage — Smend  agreeing  with  them.  De 
Wette  fancies  magic  bauds  and  fillets  are  meant.  Ewald  thinks 
the  magic  ornaments  were  mirrors  (very  probably  small  in  size), 
which  these  female  dabblers  in  the  black  arts  carried,  as  he 
supposes,  on  their  arms  or  in  their  hands,  as  other  women  carried 
their  ordinary  mirrors.  Ewald,  Die  Propheten,  vol.  ii.  p.  261. 
Rosenmiiller  has  anticipated  this  solution  in  his  wonderful 
Scholia.  Some,  says  he,  think  the  words  refer  to  the  magic  rites 
of  these  women — by  which,  through  placing  such  ornaments  or 
things  (whatever  they  were)  on  the  person  of  those  consulting 
them,  they  wished  to  make  them  more  fitted  to  receive  their 
divinations.  Theodoret  supposes  pillows  are  mentioned  as  a 
figure  for  smooth  and  seductive  discourse ;  soft  pillows  inducing 
quiet  and  ease,  and  soft  words,  though  false,  pleasing  and  sooth- 
ing in  a  similar  way,  while  instilling  every  kind  of  perversion 
into  the  mind. 


A   VOICE   PROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST  JUDAH.  5 

maintenance;  slayin*^  souls  which  should  not  die,  and  keeping 
others  alive  which  should  not  live^ — by  lying  to  those  of  My 
people  who  listen  to  your  fulseliood? 

20  Therefore,  thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah ;  ^  Behold,  I  am  against 
your  magic  knots  and  bands,  by  which  ye  snare  souls,  as  if  they 
were  quarry  to  strike  down;  and  I  will  tear  them  from  your  arms, 
and  will  set  the  sonla  free — the  souls  that  ye  hunt  as  if  they 
were  quarry  to  strike  down.*  21  And  I  will  tear  off  your  magic 
mantles  and  head  coverings,  and  deliver  My  people  out  of  your 
hand,  that  they  may  no  longer  be  in  your  hand  to  be  hunted 
down  ;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah !  22  Because  ye  have 
falsely  made  sad  the  heart  of  the  righteous,  though  I  have  not 
made  him  sad,  and  strengthened  the  hands  of  the  wicked,  that 
he  should  not  turn  from  his  wicked  way,  so  as  to  save  his  life — 
23  therefore  you  shall  no  more  have  lying  visions,  nor  speak  any 
more  false  divinations,  and  ye  shall  know  I  am  Jehovah ! 

If,  however,  it  was  imperative  to  denounce  those  who 
thus  led  the  people  astray,  it  was  no  less  so  to  expose  the 
sins  of  the  people  themselves,  which  made  them  an  easy 
prey.  Advice  and  consolation  were  sought  from  the  true 
prophets,  but  there  was  still  a  hankering  in  the  depth 
of  the  hearts  of  most,  after  their  old  corruptions,  the  high 
places  and  their  idols.  Their  homage  to  the  prophet  was 
thus  only  outward  and  worthless.     But  such  hypocrisy 

*  Smend  has,  "  preserved  the  souls  of  others  alive  " — destroying 
the  godly  by  the  terror  of  their  rites,  and  keeping  alive  the 
godless,  their  supporters.  Bat  this  seems  far-fetched.  De  Wette 
says,  "preserving  alive  the  souls  who  belong  to  you."  Rabbi  Dr. 
Arnheim  says,  "that  you  may  preserve  your  own  life."  E-osen- 
miiller  paraphrases  the  verse  thus,  "Shall  I  at  all  permit  that 
yon  should  destroy  My  people,  by  your  laying  on  them  yonr 
lying  oracles,  predicting  all  misfortunes  and  evils  to  them,  while 
you  cheer  your  own  kind  by  promising  them  every  happiness? 
The  end  will  be  different  from  what  you  think;  good  fortune  will 
not  come  to  the  ungodly,  as  you  say,  but  every  evil  will  light  on 
you  and  those  who  listen  to  you."     Ezechiel,  in  loc,  vol.  i.  p.  355. 

2  Ezek.  xiii.  20-23. 

'  De  Wette  renders  it,  "  to  make  them  fly  to  you." 


6  A   VOICE    FROM   CHEBAE,    AGAINST  JUDAH. 

was  utterly  hateful  to  Jehovah,  and  entailed  on  those 
guilty  of  it,  His  severest  indignation.  To  root  it  from  the 
bosoms  of  the  people.  He  threatened  to  visit  them  with 
the  sternest  punishments.  Thus  alone  could  His  ancient 
relation  to  Israel  be  restored.  The  enforcing  these  truths 
was  now  the  task  of  Ezekiel,  and  an  occasion  soon  pre- 
sented itself.  Taking  advantage  of  a  visit  from  some 
elders  of  the  people,  he  thus  addressed  the  community 
through  them.  The  Divine  Voice  had  warned  him  of 
their  secret  leaning  to  heathenism.  "  Son  of  man/'  ^  it 
had  said,  ''these  men  cherish  their  loathsome  gods  ^  in 
their  hearts,  and  set  before  their  eyes,  as  the  object  of 
their  worship,  the  images  which  are  the  stumbling  block 
that  causes  their  iniquity.  Should  I  be  inquired  of  at  all 
by  such  as  they  ? ''  He  was  therefore  told  to  say  to 
them  : — 

4  Thus  saitli  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Every  man  of  the  House  of 
Israel  that  cherishes  his  loathsome  gods  in  his  heart,  and  sets 
bot'ore  his  eyes  the  idols  which  are  the  stumbling  block  of  his 
iniquity,  and  then  comes  to  the  prophet,  I,  Jehovah,  will  answer 
him  as  he  deserves,  with  the  punishment  due  for  his  multitude  of 
loathsome  gods;  5  that  I  may  visit  home  the  heart  sins  of  the 
House  of  Israel,^  because  they  are  all  alienated  from  Me  through 
their  loathsome  gods. 

6  Therefore.'*  say  to  the  House  of  Israel:  Thus  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  Repent  and  turn  back  from  your  loathsome  gods,  and 
turn  your  faces  from  all  idols,  abominations  as  they  are  !  7  For 
every  one  of  the  House  of  Israel,  and  of  the  foreigners  sojourning 
in  Israel,  who  separates  himself  from  Me  and  cherishes  his 
loathsome  gods  in  his  heart,  and  sets  up  before  his  eyes  the 
stumbling  block  which  causes  his  iniquity,  and  yet  comes  to  a 
prophet,  to  ask  him  to  inquire  of  Me  on  his  behalf,  I,  Jehovah, 
Myself  will  answer.     8  And  I  will  set  My  face  against  that  man, 

1  Ezek.  xiv.  1-5. 

-  •'  Loathsome,"  lit.,  "  filth-gods  '  and  so  throughout. 

3  Lit.,  "  take  them  in  their  heart."  '^  Ezek.  xiv.  6-8. 


A   VOICE    FROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JUDAH.  7 

and  make  him  a  sign  and  a  proverb,  and   cut  him    off  from  tlie 
mi(ist  of  ^[y  people;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah. 

9  As  to  the  prophet  who  lets  himself  be  peisuaded,'  and  speaks  a 
Word  for  his  own  ends  as  if  from  Me;  I,  Jehovah,  who  know  the 
heart,  will  not  hinder  him  that  he  should  not  be  persuaded. 2  And 
I  will  stretch  out  My  hand  against  him,  and  destroy  him  from 
the  midst  of  My  people  Israel.  10  They  will  each  bear  the  punish- 
ment of  his  iniquity  ;  the  punishment  of  the  prophet  shall  be  the 
same  as  that  of  him  who  has  inquired  of  Me  through  him  ;  1 1  that 
the  House  of  Israel  may  no  more  go  astray  from  Me,  or  pollute 
themselves  any  more  by  all  the  misdeeds  of  such  offenders,  bub 
be  My  people,  and  I  their  God,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah! 

The  affairs  of  Jerusalem  seem  to  have  been  almost  as 
well  known  among  the  exiles  as  in  Judea.  In  spite  of 
all  warnings,  the  Egyptian  party  was  gradually  forcing 
the  weak  Zedekiah  into  a  league  with  the  Pharaoh,  which 
involved  the  breach  of  his  solemn  oath  '^  by  God,"  to  be 
a  true  vassal  of  the  Chaldean  king.  Such  faithlessness, 
Ezekiel  felt,  was  certain  to  bring  down  the  severest 
punishments  on  the  land.  Like  all  the  ancient  Hebrews, 
he  firmly  believed  in  temporal  rewards  for  godliness, 
and  penalties  for  sin.  It  was,  howev^er,  a  difficulty  with 
many,  that  he  should  have  predicted  the  escape  of  some 
of  the  idolatrous  people  of  Jerusalem  from  the  judgments 
impending  on  their  fellows.  He  therefore  shows  them 
that,  while  the  fear  of  God  preserves  alive  the  worthy, 
as  seen  in  the  cases  of  Noah,  Daniel,  and  Job,  the  land 
that  sins  must  suffer.  Nor  is  the  fact  that  some  of  the 
ungodly  of  Jerusalem  would  be  spared,  any  contradiction 
to  this,  for  they  are  preserved  only  to  vindicate  God's 
righteousness,  by  letting  the  heathen  see  their  vileness, 
and  thus  recognise  the  justice  of  the  Divine  judgments 
inflicted  on  their  city.  The  Word  of  Jehovah,  says  he, 
came  again  to  me,  saying  :  — 

1  Ezek.  xiv.  9-11.  2  Eichhorn. 


8  A    VOICE    FROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JDDAH. 

13  Son  of  man,*  when  a  land  sins  against  Me  by  gross  unfaith- 
fulness, ^  and  I  stretch  out  My  hand  against  it,  and  break  the  staff 
of  its  bread,  and  send  on  it  Famine,  and  cut  off  man  and  beast  from 
it.  14  Though  these  three  men,  Noah,  Daniel,^  and  Job  were  in  it, 
they  would  save  only  their  own  lives  by  their  righteousness,  says 
the  Lord  Jehovah.  15  If  I  let  Wild  Beasts  come  into  a  land,  and 
they  bereave  it  of  its  children,  so  that  it  become  such  a  desert  that 
no  one  can  pass  through  it  any  more,  because  of  these  beasts ; 
16  though  these  three  men  were  in  it,  as  I  live,  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  they  would  save  neither  sons  nor  daughters ;  they,  them- 
selves, only,  would  be  saved,  but  the  land  would  be  desolate.  17  Or, 
should  I  bring  War  on  that  land,  and  say,  "  Sword,  go  through 
that  land,"  and  should  cut  off  man  and  beast  from  it;  18  though 
these  three  men  were  in  it,  as  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah, 
they  would  save  neither  sons  nor  daughters  ;  they,  themselves, 
only  would  be  saved  !  19  Or,  if  I  send  Pestilence  into  that  land, 
and  pour  out  my  fury  upon  it  in  blood,  cutting  off  from  it  man 
and  beast ;  20  were  even  Noah,  Daniel,  and  Job  in  it,  as  I  live,  saith 
the  Lord  Jehovah,  they  would  save  neither  son  nor  daughter; 
they  would  save  their  own  lives  only,  by  their  righteousness. 

21  Now,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  ;  *  How  much  more  will  this  be 
the  case  when  I  send  My  four  sore  judgments  on  Jerusalem — 
the  Sword,  Famine,  Wild  Beasts,  and  Pestilence,  to  cut  off  from 
it  man  and  beast !  22  And,  behold,  if  a  few  should  be  spaied  in  it, 
and  led  away  captives,  both  men  and  women,  it  will  be  that  they 
may  be  brought  among  you,^that  you  may  see  their  way  and  their 
doings,  and  be  comforted  concerning  the  evil  I  have  brought  on 
Jerusalem,  and  all  I  have  done  against  it.  23  For  they  will  satisfy 
your  minds  respecting  Me,  when  you  see  their  ways  and  their 
doings,  and  you  will  know  that  I  have  not  done  without  cause, 
all  that  I  have  done  in  it,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah ! 

Another  fragment  of  EzekiePs  utterances  in  these  years 
strikes  keenly  at  the  self-complacency  of  his  brethren,  and 

1  Ezek.  xiv.  12-20. 

2  Evvald  thinks  the  breach  of  the  oath  by  Zedekiah  is  referred  to. 
^  Daniel  was  at  the  time  a  captive  in  Babylonia.     The  inversion 

of  names  may  rise  from  the  fact  of  the  case  of  Job  seeming  like 
a  climax.     See  Heb.  xi.  32. 
4  Ezek.  xiv.  21-23.  »  In  Babylon,  among  the  exiles. 


A    VOICE    PROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JUDAH.  9 

must  have  galled  their  pride.  They  boasted  of  being  the 
noble  vine  planted  in  Canaan  by  God.  Prophets  had 
often  compared  them  to  one,  ^  though  they  had  spoken 
also  of  its  having  degenerated  and  grown  rank  and 
useless.  But  in  the  present  case  the  worthlessness  of  the 
wood  of  the  vine,  so  much  softer  and  more  crooked  than 
many  other  kinds,  is  the  only  point  brought  forward. 
They  might,  indeed,  be  a  vine,  but,  now  that  they  bore 
no  fruit,  of  what  worth  was  their  wood  ?  The  Word  of 
Jehovah,  he  says,  came  to  him,  saying  : — 

2  Son  of  man,  -  what  better  is  the  wood  oE  the  vine  than  other 
kinds  of  wood?  Or  what  is  the  vine-branch  among  the  trees  of 
the  yaav  ?  '  3  Can  you  take  wood  from  ir,  to  make  into  aiiy thing  ? 
or  do  they  take  even  a  pin  from  it,  to  hang  any  vessel  upon? 

4  See,  it  is  given  for  food  to  the  fire !  The  flame  has  burnt  off  its 
two  ends,  and  scorched  the  middle."*     Is  it  go  )d  for  anything? 

5  Even,  when  it  was  whole,  it  was  good  for  nothing ;  how  much 
less  will  it  be  good  for  anything  when  the  fire  has  burnt  and 
scorched  it ! 

6  Therefore,  thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah;  I  will  make  the  in- 
habitants of  Jerusalem  like  the  wood  of  the  vine,  which  I  have 
given  like  that  of  the  other  trees  of  the  yaar,  as  food  for  the  fire. 
7  I  will  set  my  face  against  them.  They  came  out  of  the  fire, 
when  I  brought  them  from  Egypt,  and  fire  will  now  finally  con- 
sume them,  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah,  when  I  set 
My  face  against  them,  8  and  make  the  land  desolate,  because  they 
have  committed  unfaithfulness  !  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

Ceaseless  in  his  endeavours  to  rouse  his  fellow-country- 
men to  a  sense  of  their  true  position,  as  apostates,  to  a 
lamentable  extent,  from  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  and 
as   morally  degenerate  and  corrupt,  Ezekiel  tried  every 

^  Hos.  X.  1,     Isa.  v.  1.  Jer.  ii.  21. 
2  Ezek.  XV.  1-8.  =*  See  vol.  iv.  p.  358. 

*  Is  this  an  allusion  to  the  calamities  already  endured  by  the 
Twelve  Tribes  ? 


10  A  VOICE   PROM   CHEBAR,    AGAINST  JUDAH. 

style  of  address  in  turn.  An  allegory,  long  and  minute, 
was  his  next  attempt  to  influence  them  for  good.  Jeru- 
salem is  personified  as  a  new-born  female  child,  exposed 
at  her  birth,  but  graciously  taken  under  His  protection 
by  Jehovah,  and  ultimately  united  with  Him  in  a  marriage 
contract,  and  tenderly  cared  for.  Her  conduct,  how- 
ever, is  ungrateful  and  wicked  in  the  extreme,  so  that, 
in  the  end,  He  has  to  threaten  her  with  the  severest 
punishment  for  her  unfaithfulness,  which  is  shown  to 
have  been  greater  than  that  of  the  worst  of  her  neigh- 
bours. 

The  Word  of  Jehovah,  he  says,  came  to  him,  directing 
him  to  "  cause  Jerusalem  to  know  her  abominations,^' 
and  this  he  does  as  follows. 

3  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  to  Jernsaleni ;  *  Thy  origin  and 
birth  (as  regards  thy  spiritual  history)  were  of  the  land  of  the 
Canaanites;  thy  father  was  an  Arnorite  and  thy  mother  a  Hittite; 
(for  when  taken  by  David  thou  wast  a  heathen  Jebusite  city — 
Amorites  and  Hittites  forming  a  hirge  part  of  thy  f)opu]ation). 
4  In  the  day  of  thy  birth  thou  wast  not  cared  for ;  ^  thou  wast 
not  washed  with  water,  nor  rubbed  with  salt,^  nor  wrapped  in 
swaddling  clothes.  5  No  eye  pitied  thee,  to  do  any  of  these  things 
for  thee,  or  had  compassion  upon  tliee  ;  but  thou  wast  cast  out,  and 
exposed  on  the  open  field,  on  the  day  of  thy  birth ;  so  much  wast 
thou  loathed. 

This  refers,  by  a  change  of  allusion,  to  the  wretched 
condition  of  Israel  in  Egypt.  But  Jehovah  had  pity 
upon  the  helpless  outcast. 

1  Ezek.  xvi.  1-5. 

2  I  paraphrase  the  clause  of  the  original. 

*  Infants  were  rubbed  with  salt  in  the  idea  that  it  hardened 
the  skin.  To  this  day  this  is  done  to  every  new-born  infant  in 
Palestine,  before  it  is  wrapped  round  with  swaddling  clothes  — 
that  is,  plain  bands  of  calico  about  six  inches  wide  by  three  yards 
in  length.    Neil,  p.  41 . 


A   VOICE    FROM   CHEBAR^    AGAINST   JUDAH. 


11 


6  Then  ^ent  I,  Jehovah,  by  thee,  ^  and  saw  thee  lying'  in  thy 
blood,  and  said  to  thee — "All  wretched^  as  thou  art,  live;  "  yes, 
I  said  to  thee,  "  All  wretched  as  thou  art,  live."  7  Ten  thousand- 
fold increise,  like  that  of  the  shoots  of  the  field,  I  gave  thee,  and 
thou  didst  multiply,  and  wax  great,  and  thou  earnest  to  have 
beaut}'  of  cheeks,  and  thy  bosom  became  womanly  and  thy  hair 
grew  long,  though  once  thou  hadst  been  naked  and  bare.  8  And 
as  I  passed  by  I  saw  thee,  and  loved  thee,  and  made  thee  My 
spouse  by  solemn  covenant,  *  and  took  thee  under  my  protection, 
throwing  as  it  were  My  mantle  over  thee  as  sign  that  I  did  so,* 
saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  and  thou  bec;imest  Mine.  9  Then  I  washed 
thee  with  water,  and  cleansed  thee  from  all  the  shame  of  the 
past,  and  anointed  thee 
with  oil.  10  I  clothed 
thee  with  broidered 
work  of  many  colours, 
and  shod  thee  with  san- 
dals of  seal  leather,^  and 
wound  a  girdle  of  the 
finest  linen  round  thee, 
and  hung  on  thee  a 
silken  veil,'  to  thy  feet. 
Ill  decked  thee  with 
ornaments  ;  I  put  brace- 
lets on  thy  wrists,  and 
a  gold  chain  round  thy 
neck.  12  I  hung  a  ring 
on  thy  nose,  and  earrings 
on  thine  ears,  and  set  a  fair  coronet  on  thy  brow.  13  Thus  wast 
thou  decked  with  gold  and  silver,  and  thy  raiment  was  of  the  finest 
linen,  and  silk,  and  many  coloured  embroidery,  and  thou  atest  the 


Saxdals. 


*  Sprawling.     Henderson. 


1  Ezek.  xvi.  6-14. 

3  Lit.,  "bloody." 

*  Under  Moses  and  Joshua,  especially  at  Sinai.       *  Rath  iii.  9. 

^  Lit.,  *'Tahash  leather."     See  vol.  ii.  pp.  110,  292. 

'  It  is  not  quite  certain  that  the  Hebrews  knew  of  silk  in 
Ezekiel's  day.  But  see  Gesen.,  Thesaurus,  s.  v.  Meshi.  Jerome 
calls  it  •'  a  garment  so  fine  as  to  seem  equal  to  the  finest  hair." 
See  also  Movers,  vol.  ii.  pp.  3,  363. 


12  A   VOICE    FROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JUDAH. 

finest  bread,  and  honey,  and  oil;  and  thou  wast  indeed  passing 
fair,  and  didst  come  to  be  a  queen,  ^  14  and  thy  fame  went  forth 
among  the  nations,  for  thy  beauty,  which  was  perfect,  through 
the  splendour  in  which  I  had  arrayed  thee,  saith  the  Lord 
Jehovah ! 

But,  thougli  tlius  divinely  favoured,  Israel  had  been 
unfaithful  to  G-od.  Following  the  example  of  Hosea, 
Ezekiel  represents  this  by  the  figure  of  conjugal  infi- 
delity. All  alliances  with  heathen  nations  had  been 
thus  denounced  by  the  earlier  prophet,  but  the  special 
guilt  of  Ezekiel's  day  was  the  idolatrous  worship  that 
had  prevailed  since  the  time  of  Manasseh,  involving  even 
human  sacrifice.  Interrupted,  in  a  measure,  during 
Josiah^s  reign,  it  had  broken  out  afresh  after  his  death. 

15  But  thou  didst  trust  to  thy  beauty ,2  and  thy  fame  seduced  thee 
to  lewdness,  and  thou  gavest  thyself  up  to  uncleanness  with  every 
passer  by,  and  becamest  his  !  ^  16  Thou  didst  take  thy  robes  and 
made  many-coloured  Asherah  tents  with  them,  and  committedst 
impurity  under  them  ;  a  thing  that  should  never  have  happened.'' 

17  Thou  didst  also  take  thy  ornaments,  of  My  gold  and  silver 
that  I  had  given  thee,  and  making  them  into  images  of  men,*  com- 
mittedst impurity  with  these.  18  And  thou  tookedst  thy  many- 
coloured  robes  and  arrayed  the  idols  in  them,  and  didst  seB  My  oil 
and  incense  before  them.  19  Thou  didst,  further,  set  before  them, 
for  a  sweet  savour,  My  bread  that  I  had  given  thee  ;^  fine  flour, 
and  oil,  and  honey  with  which  I  fed  thee,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  ! 

20  Still  worse,^  thou  hast  taken  thy  sons  and  thy  daughters, 
whom  thou  hadst  borne  to  Me,  and  didst  offer  them  to  thy  idols, 
to  be  destroyed  in  their  honour.  Were  thy  other  sins  so  small 
21  that  thou  shouldst  also  slay  My  sons,  and  give  them  up  to  pass 

1  Lit.,  "  kingdom."  ^  Ezek.  xvi.  15-19. 

3  Thou  didst  coquette  with  every  form  of  idolatry. 
"*  Text  apparently  corrupt.     Ewald  translates  the  clause,  "  0 
shame  and  disgrace  !  " 

*  The  idols  were  of  human  shape,  for  the  most  part. 
«  Lev.  xxi.  6.  ^  Ezek.  xvi.  20-25. 


A   VOICE    FROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JUPAH.  13 

throngli  the  fire,  for  these  idols  ?  22  And,  amidst  all  thy  abomina- 
tions and  lewdness,  thou  hast  forgotten  the  days  of  thy  yonth, 
when  thou  wast  naked  and  bare,  and  lay,  cast  out,  in  thy  detile- 
ment.*  23  But  after  thou  hadst  committed  all  these  iniquities,  Woe, 
woe,  to  thee !  sairh  the  Lord  Jehovah,  24  thou  hast  also  built  a 
canopy  for  an  altar,  and  made  a  high  place,  in  every  street.^  25  At 
every  meeting  of  the  roads  thou  didst  build  tliy  high  places,  and 
didst  dishonour  to  thy  beauty,  and  disgraced  thyself  before  all, 
and  multiplied  thy  idolatry. 

The  introd action  of  Egyptian,  Assyrian,  and  Babylo- 
nian heathenism  was  notorious. 

26  Thou  hast  also'  borrowed  idolatry  from  the  Egyptians,  thy 
neighbours,  foul  in  their  heathenism,'*  and  hast  increased  thy 
sins,  to  provoke  Me  to  anger.  27  And,  behold,  in  consequence  of 
this,  I  stretched  out  My  hand  against  thee,  and  diminished  thy 
allotted  food-supply,  and  gave  thee  over  to  the  will  of  thy  enemies, 
the  daughters  of  the  Philistines*^  who,  heathen  as  they  are, 
blushed  at  thy  sins.  28  Thou  didst  sin  also  with  the  Assyrians, 
still  craving  more  idols ;  thou  didst  copy  their  heathenism  also, 
and  still,  thou  wast  not  satisfied.  29  Thou  didst  therefore,  further, 
increase  thy  idolatry  by  adopting  that  of  Chaldea — the  land  of 
traders,  and,  even  then,  thou  wast  not  satisfied. 

The  prophet  now  breaks  out  into  irony.  Israel,  he 
says,  is  different  from  others.  They  may  act  for  reward ; 
she  has  been  urged  only  by  love  of  her  sins. 

30  How  loving  is  thy  heart !  ^  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  that  thou 
doest  all  this,  like  a  woman  who  is  her  own  mistress,  with  none 
to  check  her!  31  that  thou  buildest  the  canopy  for  thy  altars  at 
every  meeting  of  the  roads,  and  raisest  thy  high  place  in  every 
street,  and  yet  wast  non  like  a  harlot,  since  thou  hast  not  sought 
pay.  32  0  thou  adulterous  wife,  who  takest  up  with  strangers 
instead  of  keeping  to  thy  hu>band  !  33  A  price  is  given  to  every 
harlot,  but  thou,  instead,  hast  bestowed  thy  gitts  on  all  thy  lovers, 

»  Lit.,  "blood."  2  lya.  Ivii.  8. 

3  Ezek.  xvi.  26-29.  •♦  Lit.,  "  great  of  flesh." 

5  Ezek.  xvi.  30-34. 


14  A  VOICE   FEOM   CHEBAR,   AGAINST   JUDAH. 

and  hafst  hired  them  to  come  to  thee  from  all  parts,  to  commit 
■wickedness  with  thee.^  34  Thou  hast  been  the  opposite  of  other 
women  in  thy  sins ;  thoa  hast  not  been  gone  after,  but  thyself 
hast  gone  after  thy  lovers  ;  thou  hast  given  pay,  not  gotten  it ; 
thou  art,  indeed,  different  from  others  ! 

The  husband,  thus  outraged  beyond  example,  cannot, 
after  all  this,  allow  his  faithless  partner  to  escape  the 
punishment  she  has  deserved,  but  must  insist,  on  many 
grounds,  that  the  severest  penalties  be  inflicted.  Those 
with  whom  she  had  sinned  are  to  be  the  instruments  of 
her  shameful  and  terrible  sentence.  She  must  be  put 
to  a  disgraceful  death,  as  the  law  demands. 

35  Wherefore,  0  harlot,"  hear  the  word  of.  Jehovah.  36Thussaith 
the  Lord  Jehovah,  because  thy  sin  was  poured  out,  and  thy  shame 
revealed,  by  thy  idolatries  with  the  religions  thou  lovedst,  and 
with  all  thy  abominable  disgusting  gods,  and  by  the  blood  of  thy 
children  which  thou  gavest  to  them;  37  Behold,  therefore,  I  will 
gather  all  who  have  seduced  thee  from  Me,  thy  God,  and  those 
whom  thou  hast  sought  to  please,  and  all  whom  thou  hast  loved, 
with  all,  also,  whom  thou  hast  hated  ;  I  will  gather  them  round 
thee,  and  disclose  thy  sin  to  them,  that  they  may  see  all  thy  guilt. 
38  And  I  will  judge  thee  as  women  are  judged  who  break  wedlock 
and  shed  blood,  and  I  will  shed  thy  blood,  in  My  fury  and 
jealousy.  39  I  will  give  thee,  also,  into  their  hand,  and  they  will 
throw  down  thy  canopies,  and  break  down  thy  high  places  ;  they 
will  strip  thee  of  thy  robes ;  take  away  thy  fine  ornaments,  and 
leave  thee,  once  more,  naked  and  bare,  as  I  found  thee !  40  They 
will,  further,  bring  up  a  multitude  against  thee,  and  stone  thee 
with  stones,  and  hew  thee  in  pieces  with  their  swords.  41  And 
they  will  burn  thy  houses  with  fire,  and  execute  judgments  in  thee, 
before  the  eyes  of  many  women,'  and  I  will  make  thee  cease  from 
playing  the  harlot,  and  thou  shalt  give  no  more  unholy  hire. 
42  Thus  will  I  cool  My  fury  on  thee,  and  My  jealousy,  which  thou 
hast  excited,  will  turn  from  thee,  fully  avenged,  and  I  will  have 

^  A  thrust  at  their  sending  after  foreign  idolatries. 
2  Ezek.  xvi.  35-43.  »  Other  nations. 


A   VOICE    FROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JUDAH.  15 

peeice,  and  be  no  more  angry.  43  Because  thou  hast  forgotten  the 
days  of  thy  youth,  atid  stirred  up  My  indignation  by  all  thy 
doings,  behold,  I  will  let  the  punishment  of  thy  conduct  rest  on 
thy  head,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah.  Thou  wilt  not  be  able  to 
increase  thy  oflfences  by  any  new  deed  of  shame. 

Jerusalem  is,  in  fact,  really  a  heathen  city.  Canaan 
may  be  called  its  father  and  mother ;  Samaria  and  Sodom 
its  sisters.  In  its  desperate  ungodliness  it  has  even 
transcended  these  guiltiest  of  cities,  and  must  think  of 
this  when  it  suffers  a  fate  as  terrible  as  theirs. 

44  Behold,*  every  proverb-monger  will  repeat  this  saying  against 
thee :  "  As  is  the  mother,  so  is  the  daughter !  "  45  Thou  art  the 
true  daughter  of  thy  mother,  who  dishonoured  her  husband  and 
her  children  :  and  thou  art  the  true  sister  of  thy  sisters,  who  dis- 
honoured their  husbands  and  their  children ;  ^  thy  mother  was  a 
Hittite  and  thy  father  an  Amorite.*  46  Thy  elder  sister  is  Samaria, 
with  her  daughters,  the  towns  of  her  territory,  who  dwell  north 
from  thee :  thy  younger  sister,  who  lives  south  from  thee,  is  Sodom 
and  her  daughters — the  towns  connected  with  her.  47  Yet  thou 
hast  not  contented  thyself  with  walking  in  their  ways,  nor  in 
copying  their  abominations;  that  was  too  little  for  thee  to  do: 
thou  hast  shown  thyself  still  more  corrupt  than  they,  in  all  thy 
ways  !  48  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Sodom,  thy  sister,  and 
her  daughters,  have  not  done  as  thou  and  thy  daughters — the  towns 
of  Judah — have  done !  49  Behold,  the  sin  of  thy  sister  Sodom 
was  this — pride,  through  superabundance  of  the  comforts  of  life, 
and  the  corrupting  influence  of  undisturbed  security,  marked  her 
and  her  daughters,  and  she  did  not  help  the  poor  and  needy.* 
50  They  were  haughty,  and  committed  abomination  before  Me; 
therefore  I  put  them  away,  as  thou  hast  seen. 

51  Neither  has  Samaria.*  committed  half  of  thy  sins.   Thou  hast 

1  Ezek.  xvi.  44-50. 

2  The  Canaaiiites  and  Samaria  and  Sodom  alike  turned  from 
God  and  gave  up  their  children  as  sacrifices  to  idols. 

3  Jerusalem  has  shown  itself  to  be  in  respect  to  religion  a  true 
child  of  the  Canaanites. 

*  Lit.,  "  take  hold  of  the  hand  of."  *  Ezek.  xvi.  51-52. 


16  A    VOICE    PROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JUDAH. 

multiplied  thy  abominations  above  hers,  and  hast  made  her  and  her 
daughters  appear  rigjliteons,  through  the  excess  of  abominations 
thou  hast  commir,ted.  52  Bear,  then,  thy  shame,  thou  who  hasb 
condemned  thy  sisters,'  though  thine  own  greater  sins,  which 
made  thee  an  abomination,  make  them  seem  righteous  in  com- 
parison !  Blnsh,  and  bear  thy  shame,  because,  by  thy  greater  sins, 
thou  hast  made  thy  sisters,  with  all  their  guilt,  appear  righteous  ! 

Since,  thus,  Samaria  and  Sodom  were  comparatively 
less  guilty  than  Jerusalem,  there  is  still  hope  even  for 
them — that  is,  for  the  heathen,  of  whom  they  are  made 
the  representatives.  Jerusalem  will  be  restored,  but 
her  return  to  favour  will  follow  that  of  the  nations  she 
has  been  wont  to  despise.  In  this  also  she  must  be 
utterly  humbled. 

53  And  I  will  bring  back  again  ^  their  banished  ones  to  their 
homes — the  banished  ones  of  Sodom  and  her  daughters,  and  the 
banished  ones  of  Samaria  and  her  daughters— and  then  I  will  bring 
back  again  thy  banished  ones  also,  in  the  midst  of  them — 54  that 
thou  mayest  bear  thine  own  disgrace,  and  be  ashamed  for  all  that 
thou  hast  done,  by  the  consolation  thou  givest  them  when  they 
see  thee  also  punished  for  thy  sins,  and  find  themselves  restored 
through  thy  means.  55  Tiiy  sisters,  Sodom  and  her  daughters, 
will  return  to  their  former  position,  and  Samaria  and  her  daughters 
will  return  to  theirs,  and  thou  and  thy  daughters  will  return  to 
thieirs.  56  Yet  thy  sister  Sodom's  name  was  not  heard  in  thy 
mouth  in  the  day  of  thy  pride,  befoie  thine  own  wickedness  was 
made  known,  57  (and  thou  didst  despise  her)  as,  at  the  time  of  the 
Syrian  oppression,  thou  thyself  wast  the  reproach  of  the  daugh- 
ters of  Syria,  and  of  all  the  nations  round,  who  despised  thee  on 
every  side — the  daughters  of  the  Philistines  doing  so  especially.^ 

^  Eichhorn  translates  this  difficult  clause — "  Bear  thou  the 
shame  which  thou  thoughtest  well  deserved  by  thy  sisters,"  and 
thinks  it  is  an  allusion  to  the  carrying  off  the  inhabitants  of  Sa- 
maria atid  of  the  east  of  the  Jordan  by  Tiglatli  Pileser. 

2  Ezek.  xvi.  53-57. 

^  This  is  Smend's  idea  of  the  meaning  of  this  passage.  Ewald 
refers  it  to  the  then  present  position  of  Judah.     But  thougli  the 


A    VOICE    FROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JUDAH.  17 

58  But  now  '  thou  must  bear  the  punishment  of  thy  lewdness 
and  of  thine  abominations,  saith  Jehovah  !  59  For  thus  saith 
the  Lord  Jehovah,  I  will  do  with  thee  as  thou  hast  done  to  Me. 
IJecanse  thou  hast  despised  the  solemn  oath  taken  by  thee, 
breaking  the  covenant  tliou  hadst  made  with  Me:'-  I,  now,  hold 
My  covenant  made  with  thee  as  broken! 

But  God  will  not  cast  off  His  people  for  ever.  He  will 
hereafter  make  a  new,  everlasting  covenant  witli  them. 
Jerusalem  shall  once  more  be  the  head  of  the  new  theo- 
cracy, into  which  Sodom  and  Samaria  will  be  received  ; 
but  this  glorious  restoration  will  be  due  solely  to  the 
sovereign  favour  of  God,  and  thus,  as  bounty  to  the 
undeserving,  will  call  forth  humiliation  at  the  remem- 
brance of  the  guilty  past. 

60  Yet  I  will  hereafter  ^  remember  My  old  covenant  with  thee,  in 
the  days  of  thy  youth,  and  I  will  establish  -with  thee  an  everlast- 
ing covenant.  61  Then  wilt  thou  think  of  thy  former  ways  and  be 
ashamed,  when  thou  takest  to  thee  thy  sisters — the  elder  and  the 
younger,-*  whom  I  will  give  thee  for  daughters,  though  thou  hast 
uo  claim  to  them  by  thy  covenant.^  62  And  I  will  establish  My 
covenant  with  thee,  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  Jehovah; 
63  that  thou  mayest  ponder,  and  be  humiliated,  and  never  more 
open  thy  mouth,  because  of  thy  shame,  when  I  forgive  thee  for 
all  that  thou  hast  done,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  ! 

Another  utterance  of  Ezekiel,  of  this  time,  returns  to 
the  special  and  crowning  sin,  which  was  bringing  down 
the  last  calamities  on  Judah — the  faithlessness  of  Zede- 

Syrian  kingdom  of  Chaldea  (as  it  might  be  called)  was  against  it, 
the  PhiHstines  had  long  beeu  crushed.  Eichhorn  thinks  it  alludes 
to  the  oppression  of  Assyria,  which  at  the  time  held  Philistia 
also.  But  Smend's  idea  seejns  best.  The  Philistines  were  still 
very  troublesome  in  the  time  of  the  distinctively  Syrian  war, 
before  the  fall  of  Samaria. 

1  Ezek.  xvi.  58,  59.  2  Ezek.  xvi.  8. 

^  Sodom  and  Samaria.  ^  Ezek.  xvi.  60-63. 

*  Or,  "  though  they  be  not  of  the  covenant." 

VOL.  VI.  a 


18  A   VOICE    PROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JUDAH. 

kiah  to  his  treaty  with  Nebuchadnezzar.  His  threatened 
revolt  was  clearly  self-destruction.  He  might  enjoy  a 
quiet,  though  inglorious  reign,  by  keeping  his  oath.  To 
rise  against  Chaldea  meant  ruin,  not  only  to  himself,  but 
to  the  kingdom.  Nor  was  it  treacherous  only.  To  break 
an  oath  made  by  Jehovah  was  a  high  offence  against  the 
Divine  Majesty,  and  must  bring  down  bitter  punishment. 
The  prophet  begins  in  figurative  language,  but  lays  it 
aside  as  he  goes  on. 

I  The  word  of  Jehovah  ^  came  to  me,  saying:  2  Son  of  man,  put 
forth  a  riddle,  and  speak  a  parable  to  the  Honse  of  Israel,  3  and 
say:  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  The  great  eagle  -  with  huge 
wings  of  vast  spread,  full  of  feathers  of  different  colours,  came  to 
Lebanon,  and  took  off  the  topmost  branch  of  a  cedar.^  4  He  plucked 
away  the  highest  of  its  twigs,^  and  took  it  to  the  Land  of  Traders,^ 
and  set  it  in  the  city  of  business  men.^  5  He  took  also  a  vine  of  the 
plants  of  the  laud,^  and  planted  it  in  a  fruitful  field,^  a  shoot  be- 
side abundant  waters ;  planted  it  near  them,  like  a  willow.  6  And 
it  sprouted  and  became  a  trailing  vine  of  low  growth,  and  its 
branches  twined  themselves  towards  the  eagle,  and  its  roots  were 
under  him.  So  it  became  a  vine-stock,  and  gave  off  runners,  and 
shot  forth  tendrils. 

7  And  there  was  another  great  eagle,^  with  huge  wings  and 
many  feathers,^"  and,  behold,  the  vine  began  to  bend  its  roots  and 
shoot  out  its  branches  towards  him,  from  the  beds  on  which  it 
was  planted,  that  he  might  water  it.  8  It  was  set  in  good  soil, 
beside  abundant  waters,  to  shoot  out  runners,  and  bear  fruit,  and 
become  a  goodly  vine. 

9  Say  thou^i — Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Will  it  thrive? 
Shall  Nebuchadnezzar  not  tear  up  its  roots  and  strip  off  its  fruit, 

1  Ezek.  xvii.  1-6.  2  Nebuchadnezzar. 

^  Judah,     Jehoiachin  was  the  topmost  bough  or  twig. 

*  Its  chief  men  who  were  made  captives.  ^  Chaldea. 

^  Babylon.     This  refers  to  Jehoiachin's  captivity. 

7  Zedekiah.  s  ju^ah.  ^  Ezek.  xvii.  7, 8. 

'°  Pharaoh  Hophra.     The  Egyptian  alliance  is  here  referred  to. 

"  Ezek.  xvii.  9, 10. 


A   VOICE    FROM    CHEBAR,    AGAINST   JUDAH.  19 

SO  that  it  •will  wither,  all  its  shooting  leaves  drying  up,  so  that  no 
great  power  or  strong  army  will  be  needed  to  pluck  it  up  from 
the  very  root  P  lo  Look  there  !  this  newly-set  plant — will  it 
thrive?  Will  it  not,  if  the  scorching  east  wind  ^  touch  it,  wither 
up  wholly  ? 

Will  it  not  wither  away  in  the  beds  in  which  it  grows  ? 

Another  Word  that  came  to  Ezekiel  on  the  same 
subject  runs  as  follows  : — 

12  Say  now  to  the  House  of  Disobedience  :  -  Know  ye  not  what 
these  things  mean  ?  Say :  Behold  the  king  of  Babylon  came  to 
Jerusalem  and  took  away  its  king^  and  its  princes,  and  brought 
them,  to  himself,  to  Babylon.  13  He  further  took  a  man  of  the 
king's  blood,"*  and  made  a  covenant  with  him,  and  took  an  oath  of 
him.  He  carried  away,  also,  the  mighty  of  the  land,  14  that  it 
might  be  weakened,  and  not  rebel,  but  keep  its  covenant  and 
stand.  15  But  the  man  revolted,  sending  ambassadors  to  Egypt 
to  ask  that  it  might  give  him  cavalry  and  a  strong  army.  Shall 
he  prosper  in  bis  treachery  ?  Will  he  escape  that  acts  thus  ? 
Shall  he  break  his  covenant  and  yet  escape?  16  As  I  live,  says 
the  Lord  Jehovah,  he  shall  certainly  die  a  prisoner  in  the  midst 
of  Babylon,  where  the  king  lives  who  made  him  king,  whose  oath 
he  despised,  and  whose  covenant  he  broke.  17  And  Pharaoh  will 
do  nothing  for  him  in  the  war,  and  will  send  no  great  army  and 
great  multitudes  of  men,  as  he  has  promised,  when  the  mounts 
are  thrown  up  and  battering  rams  are  raised  against  Jerusalem, 
to  slay  many!  18  Zedekiah  has  despised  his  oath,  and  broken 
his  bond,  when,  lo,  he  had  given  his  hand  for  it,  and  having  done 
all  this,  he  shall  not  escape!  19  Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  as  I  live,  I  will  surely  repay  ^  on  his  own  head  My  oath 
that  he  has  despised,  and  My  covenant  that  he  has  broken. 
20  And  I  will  spread  My  net  over  him,  and  he  shall  be  taken  in 
My  snare,  and  I  will  bring  him  to  Babylon,  and  reckon  ^  with  him 
there  for  his  treachery  that  he  has  committed  against  Me.    21  And 

^  The  Chaldeans.  For  the  east  wind,  or  sirocco,  see  vol.  v. 
p.  381.  '  Ezek.  xvii.  11-21. 

^  Jehoiachin.  ■*  Zedekiah. 

*  Lit.,  "  lay."  «  Plead. 


20  A   VOICE    FROM    CHEBAE,    AGAINST   JUDAH. 

all  his  chosen  ones,  and  all  his  forces,  shall  fall  by  the  sword, 
and  those  who  escape  shall  be  scattered  to  every  wind,  and  ye 
shall  know  that  I,  Jehovah,  have  spoken. 

But  though  God  will  thus  bring  on  Zedekiah  and 
Judah  the  punishment  of  their  revolt  against  Chaldea,  as 
a  sin  against  His  own  Majesty — the  oath  by  Him  having 
been  dishonoured — He  will,  hereafter,  restore  the  king- 
dom of  David — under  the  long  promised  Messiah — and 
all  men  will  see  that,  though  He  seemed  to  have  stood 
aloof,  and  to  have  left  Israel  without  His  care.  He  has, 
through  all  the  incidents  of  its  bitter  experience,  been 
guiding  the  course  of  things  so  as  to  bring  about  the 
final  glory  of  His  kingdom  among  men. 

22  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah :  ^  I  will  further  take  of  the 
highest  branch  ^  of  the  cedar,  and  will  plant  it :  from  the 
highest  of  its  young  shoots  I  will  pluck  oft'  a  tender  one,  and 
plant  it  on  a  high  and  lofty  mountain.^  23  In  the  lofty  mountain 
of  Israel  will  I  plant  it,  and  it  will  send  forth  boughs  and  bear 
fruit,  and  be  a  noble  cedar,  and  all  birds  of  every  kind  will  dwell 
under  it;  in  the  shadow  of  its  branches  will  they  dwell.  24  And 
all  the  trees  of  the  field  ^  shall  know  that  it  was  I,  Jehovah,  who 
have  brought  low  the  high  tree  and  exalted  the  humble  one,^ 
and  have  made  the  withered  tree  to  flourish  again.  I,  Jehovah, 
have  spoken  and  will  do  it. 

1  Ezek.  xvii.  22-24. 

2  "  Foliage,"  Mulilau  und  Volch.  The  royal  house  of  David  is 
meant— the  Messiah  so  long  expected  being  especially  referred  to. 

^  Zion.  "*  The  heathen  nations. 

5  The  high  tree  is  Zedekiah,  and  includes  also  Jehoiachin. 
The  humble  tree  is  the  promised  Messiah 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    CRISIS    AS    IT    APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL. 

THE  great  question  of  the  Divine  relations  to  man's 
conduct  in  this  life  had  long  been  the  subject  of 
agitating  discussion  and  reflection,  since  social  and  na- 
tional trouble  had  darkened  the  life  of  Judah.  Asaph 
had  recorded  his  perplexities  regarding  it  in  his  famous 
psalm/  and  others  had  followed  in  the  same  strain.  The 
Book  of  Job  embodied  the  difficulties  that  clouded  pious 
minds,  and  gave  the  true  solution,  but  to  the  mass  of 
men  the  problem  was  still  dark  and  anxious.  Among 
the  multitude,  alike  in  Judah  and  on  the  Chebar,  the 
ways  of  Providence  were  bitterly  arraigned  as  unjust. 
The  present  generation,  they  maintained,  though  not  so 
guilty  as  others  before  it,  were  punished,  while  their 
fathers  had  escaped.  "The  fathers,"  they  said,  in  a 
sententious  way,  "ate  sour  grapes,  and  the  children's 
teeth  are  set  on  edge."  ^  Nor  ^ere  specious  arguments 
wanting  to  support  this   self-righteous  commentary  on 

*  Psalm  Ixxiii. 

^  Lit.,  "blunted,  dulled."  Unripe  grapes  are  still  much  eaten 
in  Syria,  'with  the  result  that  a  sensation  of  discomfort  in  the 
teeth  always  follows  for  a  short  time.  Delitzsch,  Hioh,  xv.  33. 
Prov.  X.  26.  In  Hor.,  Od.,  III.  vi.  1,  the  same  sentiment  is  ex- 
pressed. 

81 


22  THE   CRISIS   AS   IT   APPEAEED   TO   EZEKIEL. 

the  experience  of  the  nation,  in  these,  its  last  years.  The 
godly  Josiah  had  died  in  his  early  prime,  and  Zedekiah, 
who  was  sinking  amidst  the  ruin  of  his  country,  had 
characteristics  that  drew  forth  the  sympathy  of  even  such 
men  as  Jeremiah.^  The  prophets,  moreover,  often  spoke 
of  the  Divine  judgments  impending,  as  the  results  of  the 
conduct  of  Manasseh,^  and  the  threats  of  other  parts  of 
Scripture  to  visit  the  punishment  of  sin  on  the  third  and 
fourth  generation,  seemed  to  be  exactly  fulfilled  on  Josiah 
and  his  sons — the  grandson  and  great-grandsons  of  the 
wicked  king.^  Nor  was  this  confined  to  individuals. 
The  people  at  large  appeared  as  if  doomed  to  suffer  for 
the  sins  of  their  ancestors.  Josiah's  Reformation,  it 
might  be  said,  had  brought  no  blessing,  since  public  mis- 
fortune dated  from  his  reign.  The  doctrine  of  hereditary 
punishment  for  ancestral  guilt,  had  sprung  from  a  mis- 
conception of  some  verses  of  Scripture,  and  was  at  once 
old  and  popular.*  A  wider  study  of  the  sacred  books 
would,  indeed,  have  led  to  juster  views,^  but  men  were 
too  Wretched  to  think  calmly ;  too  bitter  to  weigh  their 
words.  Like  us  all,  they  were  glad  to  blame  others 
rather  than  themselves,  and  to  take  the  air  of  being 
treated  unjustly. 

It  was  of  great  moment,  for  the  vindication  of  the 
eternal  justice  of  God,  that  such  thoughts,  whether  honest 
or  afiected,  should  be  challenged,  and  the  great  lesson 
enforced  that  men  were,^n  reality,  responsible  only  for 

*  Jer.  xxxviii. 

-  2  Kings  xxiii.  26;  xxiv.  3.     Jer.  xv.  4;  xxxii.  18.     Lam.  v.  7. 

3  Exod.  XX.  5 ;  xxxiv.  7.  Lev.  xxvi.  39.  Num.  xiv.  18-33.  Deut. 
v.  9.     Isa.  xiv.  21 ;  Ixv.  7.     Jer.  ii.  9. 

^  Gen.  ix.  25.  2  Sam.  xxi.  Ps.  cix.  14  Job.  xxi.  9.  Matt, 
xxvii.  25.     John  ix.  2.     Jer.  xviii.  19. 

^  2  Kings  xiv.  6.     Deut.  xxiv.  16. 


THE    CRISIS   AS    IT    APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL.  23 

their  own  sins.     This  Ezekiel  did  in  the  next  fragment 
of  his  preaching  that  remains  to  us. 

I  The  word  of  Jehovah,^  came  to  me  again,  saying:  2  What  do 
you  mean  by  this  proverb  in  the  Land  of  Israel :  '*  The  fiithers  ate 
sour  grapes  and  the  teeth  of  the  sons  are  set  on  edge  "  ?  3  As  I 
hve,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Ye  shall  not  use  this  proverb  any 
more  in  Israel.  4  For  all  souls  are  Mine ;  as  the  soul  of  the 
father,  so  that  of  the  son,  is  Mine.    The  soul  that  sins,  it  will  die  ! 

5  But  if  a  man  be  just,"  and  do  what  is  lawful  and  right ;  6  if  he 
have  not  eaten  heathen  sacrifices  on  the  high  places  on  the  hills, 
nor  lifted  up  his  eyes  in  worship  to  the  loathsome  gods  of  the 
House  of  Israel,  nor  defiled  his  neighbour's  wife,  nor  approached 
an  unclean  woman,  7  nor  oppressed  any  one  ;  if  he  have  returned 
to  the  poor  debtor  the  pledge  given  by  him ;  ^  if  he  has  taken 
goods  from  no  one  by  fraud  and  injustice,"*  if  he  has  given  his 
bread  to  the  hungry,  and  covered  the  naked  with  clothing ;  8  if 
he  has  not  lent  on  usury,^  or  taken  interest ;  ^  if  he  has  kept  back 
his  hand  from  iniquity,  and  has  given  honest  judgment  between 
man  and  man,  in  their  disputes ;  9  if  he  has  walked  in  My  laws 
and  kept  My  commands,  acting  truly  in  all  things — he  is  just; 
he  will  surely  live,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah ! 

10  If,  however,''  such  a  man  beget  a  violent  son,  a  shedder  of 
blood;  though  he,  the  father,  has  done  all  that  has  been  said, 
1 1  yet  if  he,  the  son,  has  done  none  of  all  this,  but  has,  instead, 
eaten  idol-meats  at  the  high  places  on  the  hills,  defiled  his  neigh- 
bour's wife,  12  oppressed  the  poor  and  needy,  taken  away  men's 
goods  by  fraud  or  injustice,  lifted  up  his  eyes  in  worship  to  the 
loathsome  gods,  committed  abomination,  13  lent  money  on  usury, 
and  taken  interest ;  shall  he,  then,  live  ?  He  shall  not  live  !  He 
has  committed  all  these  abominations.  To  death  with  him! 
His  blood  lies  on  himself ! 

14  But  if  this  ungodly  son  ^  beget  a  son  who  sees  all  his  father's 

1  Ezek.  xviii.  1-4.  2  Ezek.  xviii.  5-9. 

3  Exod.  xxii.  25.     Deut.  xxiv.  12.     Amos  ii.  8.       '*  Lev.  vi.  4. 

^  Advances  to  men  on  their  crops,  etc.,  are  meant. 

^  This  was  forbidden,  at  least  between  Israelites.  Ezek.  xviii, 
18.  Neh.  V.  7,  10  ff.  See  also  Exod.  xxii.  24..  Deut.  xxiii.  20. 
Lev.  XXV.  36.     Prov.  xxviii.  8.     Ps.  xv.  5. 

7  Ezek.  xviii.  10-13.  ^  Ezek.  xviii.  14-17. 


24  THE   CRISIS   AS   IT   APPEARED   TO   EZEKIEL. 

sins  which  he  has  done ;  sees  them,  and  keeps  from  doing  them ; 
15  if  he  has  not  eaten  idol-meats  at  the  high  places  on  the  hills, 
nor  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  the  loathsome  idols  of  the  House  of  Israel 
in  worship,  nor  defiled  his  neighbour's  wife,  16  nor  oppressed  any- 
one, nor  kept  back  any  pledge,  nor  spoiled  any  of  his  goods  by 
fraud  or  injustice,  but  has  given  his  bread  to  the  hungry,  covered 
the  naked  with  clothing,  17  kept  back  his  hand  from  iniquity, 
taken  no  usury  or  interest,  but  has  kept  My  commands  and 
walked  in  My  laws ;  He  shall  not  die  for  his  father's  sin.  He  shall 
surely  live ! 

18  His  father,  however,*  because  he  cruelly  oppressed,  robbed 
his  brother  Hebrew  by  fraud  and  injustice,  and  did  what  was 
not  good  among  his  fellow  tribesmen,^  behold,  he  shall  die  for 
his  iniquity. 

19  But  do  ye  still  say,^"Why  does  not  the  son  bear  a  share 
of  the  father's  sin  ?  "  I  answer,  If  the  son  has  done  only  what 
is  lawful  and  right,  and  has  kept  all  My  laws,  and  obeyed  them, 
he  shall  surely  live  ! 

20  The  soul  that  sins,^  it  shall  die.  But  a  son  shall  not  bear  any 
part  of  his  father's  sin,  nor  shall  the  father  bear  any  part  of  the 
son's  sin.  The  righteousness  of  the  righteous  shall  rest  on  him, 
and  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  shall  rest  upon  hmi. 

21  But  if  the  wicked^  turn  from  all  his  sins  that  he  has  committed, 
and  keep  all  My  laws,  and  do  what  is  lawful  and  right — he  shall 
surely  live.  He  shall  not  die.  22  All  his  transgressions  that  he 
has  committed  shall  not  be  remembered  against  him.  He  shall 
live,  for  the  righteousness  he  has  done.  23  Have  I  any  pleasure, 
do  you  think,  in  the  death  of  the  wicked  ?  saith  the  Lord  Je- 
hovah. Would  I  not  much  rather  that  he  turn  from  his  ways 
and  live  ? 

24  When,  on  the  other  hand,^  the  righteous  turns  away  from  his 
righteousness  and  commits  iniquity,  doing  according  to  all  that 
the  wicked  does— shall  he  live  ?  No !  All  his  righteousness  that 
he  has  done  shall  not  be  remembered.  For  his  unfaithfulness 
that  he  has  committed,  and  for  his  sin  that  he  has  sinned,  for 
them — he  shall  die. 


1  Ezek.  xviii.  18.  2  l^v.  xix.  16. 

3  Ezek.  xviii.  19.  <  Ezek.  xviii.  20. 

5  Ezek.  xviii.  21-23.  ^  Ezek.  xviii.  24. 


THE    CRISIS    AS    IT    APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL.  25 

25  Nevertheless  ye  say:^  The  way  of  the  Lord  is  not  right." 
Hear,  now,  O  House  of  Israel,  is  not  My  way  right  ?  Are  not  your 
ways  wrong?  26  If  the  righteous  turn  away  from  his  righteous- 
ness, and  commits  iniquity,  and  dies  for  it — then  he  dies  for  the  ini- 
quity that  he  has  committed.  27  But  if  the  wicked  turn  away  from 
the  wickedness  that  he  has  committed,  and  does  that  which  is 
lawful  and  right,  he  shall  preserve  his  soul  alive.  28  Because  he 
sees  and  turns  away  from  all  his  transgressions  that  he  has  com- 
mitted, he  shall  surely  live — he  shall  not  die.  29  Yet  the  House 
of  Israel  says — "  The  way  of  the  Lord  is  not  right."  0  House  of 
Israel,  are  not  My  ways  right  ?     Are  not  your  ways  wrong  ? 

30  Therefore,  I  will  judge  you,  ^  every  one  according  to  his  ways, 
saith  the  Lord  Jehovah.  Kepent,  and  turn  from  all  your  trans- 
gressions, that  your  sin  may  not  cause  your  punishment.  31  Cast 
away  from  you  all  your  transgressions,  in  which  you  have  sinned, 
and  make  for  yourselves  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit !  For  why 
will  ye  die,  0  House  of  Israel  ?  32  For  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  Him  that  dies,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah.  Therefore,  turn 
ye — and  live! 

In  these  anxious,  agitated  years,  when  the  exiles  in 
Babylonia,  like  watchers  by  the  death  bed  of  the  State, 
could  think  or  speak  of  little  else  but  the  land  they  had 
left  for  ever — its  old  glories,  its  present  sorrows — their 
poets  doubtless  sang  the  bright  memories  of  the  one,  and 
the  touching  story  of  the  others,  in  many  a  lyric  and 
lament.  Ezekiel,  a  true  patriot,  like  all  the  prophets, 
unburdened  his  heart  in  a  lament  over  the  two  kings 
of  his  race  then  captive;  the  one  in  Egypt,  the  other 
in  Babylon,  .and  over  the  city  which,  like  every  Jew,  he 
loved  with  a  passionate  tenderness.  He  had  spoken  of 
the  inevitable  ruin  of  his  fatherland  through  its  sins,  and 
the  fate  of  the  country  brought  up  in  his  mind  that  of  its 
princes — the  living  dead — whose  glory  had  faded,  whose 

1  Ezek.  xviii.  25-29. 

-  Lit.,  "evenly  poised."  It  may  mean — "consistent  at  all 
times."  3  Ezek.  xviii.  30-32. 


26  THE    CRISIS    AS    IT   APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL. 

eyes  should  never  again  behold  Jerusalem,  whose  palace 
had  been  exchanged  for  a  prison !  In  a  touching  elegy, 
he  compares  Judah,  the  mother  of  kings,  to  a  lioness 
lying  down  amidst  others  of  its  kind — the  kingdoms 
round  it.  Her  successive  generations  of  young  and  brave 
princes  are  lions^  whelps,  coming  on  in  due  time  to  full 
growth,  as  crowned  kings.  Two,  in  particular,  arrest  his 
thoughts — each  in  his  turn  snared  by  the  hunters  and 
carried  off  captive — Jehoahaz  and  Jehoiachin,  or  Zede- 
kiah,  one  hardly  knows  which. 

2  What  was  thy  mother,  O  Judah  ? — he  sang  ^ — A  lioness  which 
lay  down  among  lions,  and  nourished  her  young  amidst  other 
young  lions. 2  3  There,  she  brought  up  one  of  her  whelps  till  he 
grew  to  his  strength,^  and  learned  to  catch  prey,  and  became  a 
man-eater.  4  Bat  the  nations  heard  of  him;  he  was  taken  in 
their  pit,^  and  they  brought  him  with  rings  in  his  jaws  ^  to  the 
land  of  Egypt.^ 

5  Then,-^  when  she  saw  that  her  Hope  was  lost  and  gone,  she 
took  another  of  her  young,  and  brought  it  up,  and  it,  also,  be- 
came a  young  lion.  6  And  he  went  to  and  fro  among  the  lions, 
and  was  himself  a  young  lion,^  and  learned  to  catch  prey,  and 
became  a  man-eater.     7  He  searched  through  their  palaces,^  and 


1  Ezek.  xix.  1-4. 

2  The  kings  of  Judah  were  not  behind  the  princes  of  other 
countries  round. 

^  Gen.  xlix.  9,  lit.,  "a  young  lion."  The  "young  lion"  is  the 
animal  in  its  first  splendour  of  young  vigour. 

"*  A  common  way  of  taking  lions. 

^  Isa.  xxxvii.  20.  See  vol.  iv.  p.  457.  Wild  beasts  were  led  by 
rings  in  their  nostrils  or  jaws,  and  captives  whom  it  was  specially 
wished  to  insult  were  treated  in  the  same  way.  See  vol.  v.  p.  90; 
also  Ezek,  xxxviii.  4,  xxix.  4;  2  Kings,  xix.  28  ;  2  Chron.  xxxiii.  11. 

^  Jehoahaz  is  alluded  to.  He  was  carried  off  to  Egypt  by 
Necho,  after  his  father  Josiah's  death  at  Megiddo. 

?  Ezek.  xix.  5-7.  ^  A  crowned  king. 

'  Arnheim.     No  other  meaning  of  this  clause  seems  tenable. 


THE    CKISIS   AS    IT   APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL.  27 

laid  waste  their  cities;  the  land  was  desolate;  its  multitude  flee- 
ing in  terror  at  the  noise  of  his  roar.^ 

8  Yet  the  nations,'-  from  many  ^  countries,  set  themselves  against 
hira  round  about,  and  spread  their  net  over  him,  and  took  him 
in  their  pit.  9  Then  they  put  him  in  a  cage,  with  rings  in  his 
jaws,  and  brought  him  to  the  king  of  Babylon ;  they  brought  him 
into  a  lofty  stronghold,  that  his  voice  should  no  more  be  heard 
on  the  mountains  of  Israel.'^ 

Sucli  was  the  fate  of  the  kings ;  that  of  the  people  was 
to  be  equally  disastrous.  Israel  had  been  a  powerful 
nation,  ruling  for  a  time  from  the  Euphrates  to  the  Medi- 
terranean, and  boasting  a  line  of  kings,  who,  in  Judah, 
had  sat  on  the  throne,  in  continuous  descent  from  David, 
for  nearly  five  hundred  years.  Its  pride  and  sin,  how- 
ever, had  brought  terrible  punishment.  Ten  tribes,  out 
of  twelve,  had  been  exiles  in  a  distant  land  for  nearly  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  and  Judah  itself  had  seen  the 
flower  of  its  people  carried  off  to  Babylonia.  What  re- 
mained of  its  glory  was  fast  waning;  the  now  feeble 
State  was  tottering  to  its  final  ruin. 

These  ideas  the  prophet  embodies  in  his  former  image 
of  the  fatherland  as  a  once  lordly  vine,  the  wood  of 
which    had    been    so    massive    as    to    serve    for    kingly 

^  This  could  hardly  be  applied,  except  by  poetic  license,  to 
Jehoiachiu  (Jeconiah),  who  reigned  only  three  months.  Zede- 
kiah  may  have  been  engaged  in  wars ;  his  predecessors  had  no 
opportunity  for  them.  If,  however,  the  language  be  taken  as 
that  of  poetry,  the  lament  would  suit  Jehoiachin  better  than 
Zedekiah,  for  the  former  was  appointed  king  by  his  countrymen ; 
the  latter  was  a  Chaldean  nominee.  Ezekiel,  moreover,  seems  to 
have  regarded  Jehoiachin  as  the  legitimate  king  on  this  account. 
Ezek.  xvii.  1.  Besides,  he  bitterly  denounced  the  breach  of  oath 
by  Zedekiah,  and  on  this  ground  showed  him  no  respect. 

2  Ezek.  xix.  8,  9.  3  Li^.,  "  the." 

*  Nothing  is  known  of  the  place  of  imprisonment  of  either 
Jehoiachin  or  Zedekiah  in  Babylon. 


28  THE    CRISIS   AS    IT   APPEARED    TO   EZEKIEL. 

sceptres.  In  its  pride  it  had  shot  out  its  branches  far 
and  near,  but  the  burning  sirocco  had  been  let  loose  on 
it ;  its  stout  branches  had  withered  and  been  broken  off, 
and  fire  had  consumed  it. 

lo  Thy  mother,^  O  Judah,  mightest  thou  further  compare  to  a 
vine  2  planted  by  the  waters.  She  was  fruitful  and  had  many 
branches  by  reason  of  the  abundance  of  water ;  1 1  its  boughs  grew 
so  thick  they  made  sceptres  for  rulers,  and  its  height  rose  tower- 
ing amidst  the  clouds ;  so  glorious  did  it  seem  in  its  loftiness,  in 
the  multitude  of  its  branches  !  ^ 

12  But  the  wrath  of  God,  like  a  tempest  from  heaven,  rooted  it 
up,  and  cast  it  to  the  ground,  and  the  burning  sirocco  from  the 
desert  dried  up  its  fruit ;  its  strong  branches  were  broken  off  and 
withered ;  the  fire  consumed  them.  13  And,  now,  it  is  planted  in 
the  wilderness,'*  in  a  dry  and  thirsty  land,  14  and  fire  has  gone 
from  its  branches,  so  rich  in  shoots,  and  has  devoui'ed  its  fruit, 
so  that  it  has  no  longer  any  lordly  rod  for  a  sceptre  to  rule. 

1  Ezek.  xix.  10-14. 

2  This  clause  is  variously  translated;  different  emendations 
being  given  of  the  words,  "  in  thy  blood,"  which  are  apparently 
a  corruption  of  the  text.     I  adopt  the  rendering  of  De  Wette. 

^  *'  It  was  seen  far  and  near  from  its  height  and  the  multitude 
of  its  branches." — Smend.  The  ancient  sceptre  (Shabet)  and  the 
staff"  (Matteh),  used  as  a  sign  of  rank  by  heads  of  tribes,  clans, 
and  encampments,  by  judges  and  others,  was  a  simple  rod,  in  its 
natural  state — the  leaves  and  twigs  only  removed.  The  Arab 
Sheiks  and  the  Mahomedan  Mufti  and  Ulemas — the  equivalent  to 
our  clergy — still  carry  such  a  rude  staff,  as  high  as  themselves, 
never  appearing  in  public  without  it.  When  office  is  hereditary, 
as  in  the  case  of  Sheiks,  the  staff  passes  from  father  to  son  till 
it  is  worn  quite  thin  where  the  hand  has  grasped  it.  It  was 
this  ancestral  chieftain's  staff  on  which  Jacob  leaned  in  worship 
(Gen.  xlvii.  31) ;  and  the  rods  of  Moses  and  Aaron  were,  in  the 
same  way,  the  ordinary  signs  of  official  dignity.  Tamar  de- 
manded this  Matteh  from  Judah — knowing  its  special  worth  as 
an  unmistakable  means  of  identifying  him,  and  even  with  this 
he  parted  for  the  time.     Gen.  xxxviii.  18.     See  Neil,  pp.  160  ff. 

4  Exiled. 


THE    CRISIS    AS    IT    APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL.  29 

All  this  may  well  raise  a  song  of  lamentation,  now  and 
hereafter ! 

A  long  discourse^  delivered  by  Ezekiel  in  August,  B.C. 
592/  the  fourth  year  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
and  the  seventh  of  the  captivity  of  king  Jeconiah,  has 
fortunately  been  preserved.  As  was  tbeir  custom  from 
time  to  time,  since  the  propbet  did  not  appear  in  public, 
some  of  the  elders  of  the  Hebrew  settlement  on  the 
Chebar  came  to  him,  ''  to  enquire  of  Jebovah  '^ ;  sitting 
down,  in  Eastern  fashion,  on  the  mats  on  the  floor  of  the 
room,  while  he  rested  on  the  divan  or  sofa-like  ledge  that 
ran  along  its  side.  He  had  previously  told  them,-  that 
God  would  have  no  relations  with  insincere  worshippers, 
outwardly  paying  Him  homage,  while,  in  heart,  idolaters, 
and  he  repeated  this  now.^  As  long  as  they  were  still 
heathen  in  spirit,  they  could  expect  no  communications 
from  Jehovah,  through  His"  prophet.  The  opportunity  to 
bring  their  sins,  and  those  of  the  people  at  large,  once 
more  under  notice  was,  nevertheless,  too  favourable  to  be 
lost.  The  impulse  "  to  judge  them,''  by  rehearsing  anew 
the  sins  laid  to  their  charge,  and  proclaiming  afresh  the 
certain  result,  was  irresistible.  How  best  to  rouse  their 
conscience  must  have  been  a  matter  of  anxious  thought ; 
perhaps  if  he  recalled  to  their  minds  the  sins  of  their  fore- 
fathers and  its  terrible  punishment,  the  vivid  parallel  to 
their  own  case  might  arrest  them.  Addressing  them, 
therefore,  he  thus  began,  speaking  in  the  name  of  God, — 

5  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah;  ^  In  the  day  that  I  chose  Israel, 
and  lifted  up  My  hand  in  an  oath  to  the  seed  of  the  House  of 
Jacob,  that  I  would  be  their  God,  and  revealed  Mjself  to  them  in 
the  land  of  Egypt,^  when  I  lifted  up  My  hand  to  them,  swearing 

^  Smend  says  B.C.  590.  ^  Ezek.  xiv.  1-11. 

3  Ezek.  XX.  1-4.  '»  Ezek.  xx.  5-8. 

6  Exod.  iii.  8 ;  iv.  31.     Deut.  iv.  34. 


30  THE    CEISIS    AS    IT   APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL. 

by  Myself,  "  I  am  Jehovah  your  God  ;  "  ^—6  even  in  that  day 
when  I  lifted  up  My  hand  thus  to  them,  promising  that  I  would 
lead  them  forth  from  Egypt,^  to  a  land  I  had  looked  out  for  them 
— a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  the  glory  of  all  lands  ^ — 
7  I  said  to  them — "  Cast  ye  away,  every  man,  the  abominable 
gods  to  which  he  looks,  and  do  not  defile  yourselves  with  the 
loathsome  gods  of  Bgypt.^  I  am  Jehovah,  your  God."  8  But  they 
were  disobedient,  and  would  not  hearken  to  Me;  they  did  not, 
every  man,  cast  away  the  abominable  gods  to  which  they  looked, 
nor  did  they  forsake  the  loathsome  gods  of  Egypt.  For  this, 
therefore,  I  threatened  to  pour  out  My  wrath  on  them,  and  to  let 
loose  My  anger  against  them,  in  the  land  of  Egypt. 

9  Yet  I  acted  ^  for  the  honour  of  My  own  name,  so  that  it  should 
not  be  dishonoured  before  the  heathen,  in  whose  midst  they  were, 
in  whose  sight  I  had  revealed  Myself  to  them,  as  about  to  bring 
thera  forth  from  the  land  of  Egypt.^  lo  I  led  them,  therefore, 
forth  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  brought  them  into  the  wilder- 
ness. 1 1  And  there,  at  Sinai,  T  gave  them  My  laws,  and  made 
known  to  them  My  statutes,  by  which,  if  a  man  do  them,  he  shall 
live.^  12  I  also  gave  them  My  Sabbaths,  to  be  a  sign  between  Me 
and  them,  that  it  was  I,  Jehovah,  who  sanctify  them  by  these 
holy  seasons ;  bringing  them  thus  into  special  communion  with 
Myself.^     13  But  the  House  of  Israel  rebelled  against  Me  in  the 

1  Exod.  XX.  2. 

2  Exod.  iii.  8-17.     Deut.  viii.  7,  9.     Jer.  xxxii.  22. 
^  Ps.  xlviiii.  2.     Dan.  viii.  9.     Zech.  vii.  14. 

"^  Lev,  xvii.  7  ;  xviii.  3.  ^  Ezek.  xx.  9-13. 

^  Exod.  xxxii.  12.     Num.  xiv.  16.     Deut.  ix.  28. 

^  Lev.  xviii.  5.     Deut.  xxx.  16. 

^  Wellhausen  {Gesch.  Israel,  vol.  i.  p.  117)  would  have  us  believe 
that  the  Sabbath  was  originally  a  day  of  festivity,  and  only 
gradually  darkened  into  gloom  under  priestly  influence  during 
the  exile.  The  agony  of  the  Shunammite  widow  at  the  death  of 
her  son  (2  Kings  iv.  22),  leading  her  to  order  her  ass  for  an  instant 
journey  to  the  prophet,  is  taken  as  a  proof  that  journeys  longer 
than  were  legal  on  Sabbaths  were  then  common,  and  that  daily 
occupations  were  not  forbidden.  For  does  not  the  servant  answer 
that  it  is  neither  new  moon  nor  Sabbath?  In  Hos.  ii.  11  it  is 
said,  "  I  will  cause  all  her  mirth  to  cease,  her  feast  days,  her  new 


THE    CRISIS    AS    IT   APPEARED   TO    EZEKIEL.  31 

wilderness;  they  did  not  follow  My  laws,  and  they  despised  My 
statutes,  by  which  a  man  shall  live,  if  he  do  them ;  and  they 
grossly  dishonoured  My  Sabbaths,  so  that  I  said  I  would  pour 
out  My  indignation  upon  them  in  the  wilderness,  to  destroy  them. 

14  But  I  acted  for  the  honour  ^  of  My  name,  so  that  it  should  not 
be  dishonoured  before  the  heathen,  in  whose  sight  I  had  brought 
them  forth  from  Egypt.  15  Yet  I  lifted  up  My  hand  to  them  in 
the  wilderness  in  solemn  asseveration,  that  I  would  not  bring  them 
into  the  laud  which  I  had  given  them — a  land  flowing  with  milk 
and  honey— the  glory  of  all  lands  !  16  I  did  this  because  they  des- 
pised My  statutes  and  did  not  walk  in  My  laws,  and  dishonoured 
My  Sabbaths,  for  their  hearts  went  after  their  loathsome  gods. 
17  But  My  eye  spared  them,  so  that  I  did  not  utterly  destroy 
them,  or  make  an  end  of  them  altogether  in  the  wilderness.  - 

18  But  though  the  fathers  were  condemned  to  die  in  the  wilder- 
ness, I  said  to  their  sons,  "  "Walk  ye  not  ^  in  the  laws  of  your 
fathers,  nor  observe    their    statutes,  nor   defile  yourselves  with 


moons,  her  sabbaths,  and  all  her  solemn  feasts."  In  Amos  the 
extortioners  of  Samaria  long  for  the  Sabbath  to  sell  their  grain 
(viii.  5).  Are  not  these,  we  are  asked,  proofs  that  the  Sabbath 
was  anciently  a  day  of  rejoicing  and  worldly  business?  As  if  a 
modest  joy  were  incompatible  with  the  right  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  or  the  worldliness  of  extortioners  an  illustration  of  its 
proper  use !  That  it  is  said,  moreover,  in  Exodus  and  Deutero- 
nomy, that  the  labourer  and  his  beast  are  to  rest  on  the  Sabbath, 
while  it  is  not  said  (?)  that  the  master  should  rest !  shows  that 
the  idea  of  the  day  as  one  of  universal  rest  must  be  later  !  It  is 
on  such  arguments  as  these  that  the  origin  of  Exodus,  Leviticus, 
and  Numbers, — or  nearly  the  whole  of  them — during  the  Cap- 
tivity, is  assumed  as  demonstrated.  As  if  the  lax  practice  could  not 
naturally  come  in  by  degrees,  and  be  uprooted  only  by  a  reaction 
^uch  as  the  exile  produced !  Of  course,  however,  while  repudi- 
ating the  insinuation  that  the  ancient  Jewish  Sabbath  was  a  mere 
boisterous  holiday,  I  do  not  forget  that  the  superstitious  and 
painful  slavery,  which  the  Eabbis  invented  as  its  proper  observ- 
ance, was  then  unknown. 

1  Ezek.  XX.  14^17. 

2  Only  that  generation  was  to  perish  in  the  wilderness. 

3  Ezek.  XX.  18-21. 


32  THE    CEISIS   AS    IT   APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL. 

their  loathsome  gods.  19  I  am  Jehovah,  your  God;  walk  in  My 
laws,  and  keep  My  statutes,  and  do  them ;  20  and  hallow  My 
Sabbaths,  that  they  may  be  a  sign  between  Me  and  you,  that  ye 
may  know  that  I,  Jehovah,  am  your  God."  21  Yet  these  sons,  like 
their  fathers,  rebelled  against  Me,  and  did  not  walk  in  My  laws, 
or  keep  My  statutes,  to  do  them,  by  which,  if  a  man  keep  them, 
he  shall  live,  and  they  dishonoured  My  Sabbaths.  Then  I  told 
them  that  I  would  pour  out  My  indignation  upon  them,  and  let 
loose  My  anger  against  them  in  the  wilderness. 

22  Nevertheless,^  I  held  back  My  hand,  and  acted  for  the  honour 
of  My  name,  that  it  should  not  be  dishonoured  in  the  sight  of 
the  heathen,  before  whom  I  had  brought  them  forth  from  Egypt. 
23  But  I  lifted  up  My  hand  to  them  in  the  wilderness  once 
more,  and  solemnly  swore  that  I  would  scatter  them  among  the 
heathen,  and  disperse  them  through  the  lands,  ^  24  because  they 
had  not  obeyed  My  statutes,  but  had  despised  My  laws,  and 
dishonoured  My  Sabbaths,  and  their  hearts  had  gone  after  the 
loathsome  gods  of  their  fathers.  25  And  since  they  would  not  ob- 
serve My  good  laws,  I  afterwards,  when  they  had  entered  Canaan, 
gave  them  laws  that  were  not  good,  as  Mine  are,  and  statutes  by 
which  they  should  not  live — statutes  leading  to  death,  not  to  life, 
as  Mine  do — 26  that  is,  I  left  them  to  follow  the  heathenism  of 
Canaan,  and  polluted  them  in  their  own  offerings,  by  giving 
them  up  to  sacrifice  their  firstborn  sons  to  Moloch,  that  I  might 
appal  them  at  their  own  conduct,  and  that  they  might  know 
that  I  am  Jehovah !  ^ 


1  Ezek.  XX.  22-26.  2  L^y  ^xvi.     Deut.  xxviii. 

^  Smend  actually  ventures  to  quote  this  verse  as  proving  that 
Jehovah  instituted  human  sacrifices  !  Ewald  very  justly  refers 
the  hard  laws  to  the  claim  by  Jehovah  of  all  the  firstborn  (Exod. 
xiii.  11-13),  "  which  the  prophet  speaks  of  as  a  defiling,  because 
it  was  a  short  step  from  this  to  offering  firstborn  sons  to  Moloch 
(see  ver.  31),  and  because  this  often  happened"  through  a  perver- 
sion of  the  Divine  law,  which  imposed  only  a  slight  redemption 
money  on  the  parents,  in  lieu  of  the  claim  on  their  child.  See 
Lev.  xviii.  21 ;  Deut.  xviii.  10.  Compare,  for  language  similar  to 
that  of  Ezekiel,  Rom.  i.  24;  Acts  vii.  42  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  11.  Jerome 
says,  "  God  gave  them,  when  dispersed  among  the  nations,  laws 
that  were  not  good — that  is.  He  gave  them  up  to  their  own 


THE    CRISIS   AS    IT    APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL.  33 

27  Therefore,^  speak  to  the  House  of  Israel,  O  son  of  man,  and 
say  to  them:  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Your  fathers  still 
further  sinned  against  Me  by  acting  treacherously  towards  Me. 
28  For,  when  I  had  brought  them  into  the  land  which  I  had  sworn 
to  give  them,"  they  looked  with  idolatrous  eyes  on  every  high 
hill  and  ever}'-  thickly  leaved  tree,  and  there  oflfered  their  sacri- 
fices, and  presented  the  bitter  offence  of  their  offerings  :  ^  and 
burnt  their  sweet  smelling  incense,  and  poured  out  their  drink 
oflferings  to  their  idols,  29  till  men  came  to  say,  "  What  is  the 
Bamah — the  high  place  ?  It  is  that  to  which  the  Baim — those 
going  to  commit  uncleanness — betake  themselves,"  and  thus  its 
name  is  Bamah  (in  this  sense)  to  this  day.* 

30  Therefore,^  say  to  the  House  of  Israel,  Thus  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah :  Are  you  polluted  in  the  same  way  as  your  fathers  ? 
Do  you  commit  uncleanness  with  your  abominable  idols  ?  31  Do 
you  defile  yourselves  to  this  day  with  all  your  loathsome  gods, 
presenting  them  your  offerings,  and  making  your  sons  pass 
through  the  fire  to  them — and  shall  I  allow  Myself  to  be  en- 
quired of  by  you,  0  House  of  Israel  ?  As  I  live,  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  I  will  not  allow  Myself  to  be  enquired  of  by  you. 
32  And  what  you  think  in  your  minds,  "that  you  will  be  like 
the  heathen — like  the  people  of  other  countries — and  worship 
wood  and  stone,"  shall  not  come  to  pass.  33  As  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord  Jehovah,  I  will  be  King  over  you,  yes,  with  a  mighty 
hand,  and  an  outstretched  arm,  and  with  an  outpouring  of  fierce 
indignation ;  34  and  I  will  lead  you  forth  from  among  the  peoples, 
and  gather  you  from  the  countries  where  you  are  scattered,  with 
a  mighty  hand  and  an  outstretched  arm,  and  with  an  outpouring 
of  fierce  indignation,  35  and  will  bring  you  into  the  wilderness  of 


thoughts  and  desires,  that  they  should  do  what  was  not  for  their 
good,"  ad  loc.     As  to  the  relation  of  God  to  human  sacrifices,  see 
Jer.  vii.  31 ;  xxxii.  35,  and  other  passages. 
.    1  Ezek.  XX.  27-29. 

2  Lit.,  "  lifted  up  My  hand."  »  Their  "  corban." 

^  Baim,  from  the  verb  "  to  come,"  was  taken  in  a  bad  sense,  as 
implying  "  coming  to  commit  fornication,"  and  was  used  in  this 
way  as  a  verbal  play  on  the  word  "Bamah,"  a  high  place.  To  go 
thither  and  to  commit  uncleanness  were  assumed  as  identical. 

5  Ezek.  XX.  30-38. 

VOL.    VI.  D 


34  THE    CKISIS   AS   IT  APPEARED   TO   EZEKIEL. 

the  nations,^  between  this  Canaan  and  Babylon,  and  there  will  I 
hold  judgment  on  you,  face  to  face.  36  As  I  held  judgment  on 
your  fathers  in  the  wilderness  between  Canaan  and  Egypt,  so,  I 
will  hold  judgment  on  you,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah !  37  And  I 
will  there  carefully  separate  the  good  from  the  bad,  as  a  shepherd, 
standing  at  the  gate  of  the  fold,  lets  his  sheep  pass  out  under  his 
staff  one  by  one,  to  count  their  number  and  see  their  state  ;  and  I 
will  bring  you  under  the  yoke  of  My  new  covenant,^  38  and  I  will 
separate  from  among  you  the  rebellious,  and  those  who  sin  against 
Me.  And  I  will  bring  those  from  the  land  of  their  sojourning, 
where  they  are  exiles,^  but  these  shall  not  enter  into  the  land  of 
Israel ;  that  ye  may  know  that  I  am  Jehovah ! 

But  God  will  not  cast  off  His  people  for  ever ! 

39  As  for  you,'*  O  House  of  Israel ;  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah : 
Go,  serve  every  one,  his  loathsome  gods ;  yet,  hereafter,  ye  will 
surely  hearken  to  Me,  and  not  pollute  My  holy  name  any  more 
with  your  idolatrous  offerings,  and  with  your  loathsome  gods;^ 
40  for  on  My  holy  mountain,  Zion ;  on  the  lofty  mountain  of 
Israel,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah;  there,  shall  all  the  House  of  Israel 
serve  Me,  all  of  them  in  the  holy  land  ;  there,  will  I  receive  them 

^  Where  many  peoples — Syrians,  Arabs,  and  others,  from  all 
parts — pass  and  repass. 

2  This,  which  is  the  literal  rendering  as  the  text  stands,  does 
not  appear  to  some  a  suitable  sense.  Various  emendations  have 
therefore  been  proposed.  Hitzig  proposes,  "  into  the  purifying 
crucible."  The  Sept.  reads,  "  I  will  bring  you  in  by  number," 
Smend  conjectures  that  the  words  should  run,  "  I  bring  you, 
when  numbered,  or  by  number,  into  the  land." 

^  Bosenmilller.     Schroeder. 

4  Ezek.  XX.  39-44. 

^  The  text  demands  this  emendation,  which  is  supported  by 
Ewald,  Havernick,  Keil,  and  Smend — that  is,  by  men  of  all 
Shades  of  opinion.  Arnheim  renders  the  passage,  "  Go  and  serve 
every  one  his  idols,  since  ye  will  not  listen  to  Me  ;  only,  dishonour 
not  My  holy  Name  any  longer  by  your  gifts  and  your  idols!" 
So  Noyes,  and  De  Wette.  The  Sept.  has,  "  put  away  each  one  his 
evil  ways,  and  hereafter,  if  ye  hearken  to  Me,  then  ye  shall  no  more 
profane  My  holy  Name  by  your  gifts  and  your  doings  (ways)." 


THE    CKISIS    AS    IT   APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL.  35 

generously  when  they  approach  Me  in  worship,  and  there  will  I 
Myself  call  for  their  heave  offerings,  and  your  choicest  gifts,  of 
all  you  consecrate  to  Me.^  41  With  a  sweet  odour  of  rest  and 
delight  will  I  accept  you,  when  I  lead  you  forth  from  the  nations, 
and  gather  you  out  of  the  countries  in  which  you  have  been 
scattered,  and  I  will  show  myself  holy  in  My  dealings  towards 
you,  in  the  eyes  of  the  heathen.  42  And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am 
Jehovah,  when  I  bring  you  into  the  land  of  Israel,  the  land 
which  I  swore^  to  give  to  your  fathers.  43  And  then  ye  shall 
remember  your  ways,  and  all  your  doings,  by  which  ye  have 
defiled  yourselves,  and  ye  wilh  loathe  yourselves  in  your  own 
eyes,  for  all  your  sins  that  ye  have  committed.  44  And  ye  shall 
know  that  I  am  Jehovah,  when  I  deal  with  you  in  mercy,  and 
for  My  Name's  sake;  not  according  to  your  corrupt  doings,  0 
House  of  Israel,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah! 

But  it  was  of  no  avail  that  Ezekiel  preached  thus  on 
the  Chebar,  or  Jeremiah  in  Jerusalem.  The  Egyptian 
party  had  gained  the  upper  hand,  alike  in  Babylonia  and 
in  Judah,  and  Zedekiah  was  being  steadily  pushed  to 
open  revolt.  Another  series  of  appeals  of  the  banished 
prophet  to  his  fellow-exiles  has  come  down  to  us_,  and 
shows  that  the  people  still  cherished  a  vain  hope  of 
shaking  off  the  Chaldean  vassalage.  The  addresses  seem 
to  have  been  delivered  in  the  third  and  second  year^ 
before  the  fall  of  the  Holy  City,  when  Babylon  was 
already  on  the  eve  of  marching  against  his  rebellious 
countrymen.  What  none  had  believed  when  foretold  by 
him,  was  now,  at  last,  plainly  close  at  hand.  Roused  to 
pitiless  fury  by  the  ingratitude  of  Zedekiah,  his  creature, 
and  by  his  faithlessness,  Nebuchadnezzar  was  preparing 
to  burst  from  the  north-east,  where  Ezekiel  lived,  like 
a  destroying  storm,  on  Judah,  far  to  the  south.  Yet  as 
a  man,  a  Jew,  a  priest  banished  from  his   country  and 

1  Choicest  =  lit,  "first  of  all  you  consecrate  to  me,"  "of  all 
your  holy  things." 

2  "  Lifted  up  my  hand."  »  That  is  in  B.C.  691  and  690. 


36  THE    CRISIS    AS    IT   APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL. 

its  temple,  the  calamity,  though  so  long  anticipated,  well 
nigh  overpowered  the  prophet  as  it  approached.  The 
march  of  the  Chaldean  army  seemed  before  him,  in  its 
successive  stages.  He  almost  counted  the  hours  till  it 
should  invest  Jerusalem.  Might  there  not  be  some 
repentance  even  yet — if  not  in  the  doomed  city,  at  least 
among  the  exiles  ?  Alas,  it  was  hopeless.  A  great 
blow  in  his  own  household  was  to  bring  the  sad  truth 
home  to  him,  and  teach  him  that  he  was  henceforth  to 
be  silent  till  the  inevitable  judgment  had  fallen.  His 
wife,  whom  he  dearly  loved,  died  suddenly  at  this  time, 
and  her  death  was  used  as  a  Divine  sign.  He  was  not 
to  weep  for  the  dead !  She  was  gone  !  And,  so,  his 
brethren  might  spare  their  laments  for  their  country ; 
nothing  could  save  it ! 

In  the  first  of  these  new  utterances  the  prophet 
pictures  Judah,  with  its  towns  and  villages,  as  a  forest 
in  the  south — for  it  lay  in  that  direction  from  the  Chebar. 
Fire,  kindled  by  God  Himself,  through  His  instru- 
ment Nebuchadnezzar,  breaks  out  in  it,  and  no  one  can 
quench  it. 

45  The  word  of  Jehovah  came  to  Me;^  46  Son  of  man,  set  thy 
face  toward  the  south,  and  speak  southwards,  against  the  forests 
of  the  open  country,  47  and  say  to  the  southern  forest :  Hear  the 
word  of  Jehovah!  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah;  Behold,  I 
kindle  a  fire  in  thee,  and  it  will  devour  every  green  tree  in 
thee,  and  every  dry.  Its  flaming  fire  shall  nob  be  quenched, 
and  every  face,  from  south  to  north,  will  be  lighted  up  by  it.  48 
And  all  flesh  shall  see  that  I,  Jehovah,  have  kindled  it,  and 
that  no  one  can  quench  it ! 

Eagerly  clinging  to  their  wild  hope  for  their  country, 
the  exiled    community  afiected  not  to  understand  these 

1  Ezek.  XX.  45-49.  The  21st  chapter  begins  here  in  the  Hebrew 
Bible. 


THE    CRISIS   AS    IT   APPEARED    TO    EZEKIEL,  37 

metaphors  and  parables,  so  natural  to  Ezekiel,  but  they 
had  no  cause  of  such  a  complaint  in  a  discourse  delivered 
to  them  a  little  later. 

2  Son  of  man,^  said  the  Inner  Voice  to  him,  set  thy  face  toward 
Jerusalem,  and  pour  out  thy  words  towards  the  holy  places,  and 
preach  against  the  land  of  Israel,  3  and  say  to  it :  Thus  saith 
Jehovah — Behold,  I  come  against  thee  and  unsheathe  My  sword, 
and  destroy  from  out  of  thee  both  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  ! 
4  Therefore,  because  I  have  resolved  to  destroy  both  the  righteous 
and  the  wicked  from  out  of  thee.  My  sword  will  go  forth  from 
its  sheath  against  all  flesh,  from  south  to  north  of  the  land ;  5  that 
all  flesh  may  know  that  it  is  I,  Jehovah,  who  have  drawn  My 
sword  out  of  its  scabbard,  and  that  I  will  not  sheathe  it  again. 
6  Sigh,  therefore,  thou  son  of  man,  as  if  thy  loins  were  breaking; 
sigh  bitterly  before  their  eyes  !  7  And  when  they  say  to  thee, 
"Why  sighest  thou?"  Say,  "For  the  report  that  has  come  to 
my  ears!"  For  every  heart  shall  melt,  and  all  hands  fall  down, 
and  every  spirit  despair,  and  all  knees  shake."  Behold,  what 
has  been  foretold,  is  come,  and  is  being  carried  out !  says  the 
Lord  Jehovah. 

The  same  terrible  warning  was  soon  after  repeated 
in  a  different  form.  The  destruction  so  imminent  had 
been  pictured  as  a  great  conflagration;  it  was  now  pre- 
sented as  a  grand  carnival  of  the  sword  !  "  The  word 
of  Jehovah  "  again  came  to  the  prophet,  saying  : — 

9  Son  of  man,  ^  prophesy,  and  say :  Thus  says  Jehovah :  Say,  A 
Sword,  a  Sword  is  sharpened  and  whetted;  10  sharpened  to  make 
a  sore  slaughter;  whetted  that  it  may  flash  like  the  lightning  ! 
Woe  to  thee,  O  Staff,  the  sceptre  of  my  son  Judah — this  sword 
despises  all  such  weak  rods  !  ■*    1 1  It  has  been  whetted  that  it  may 

1  Ezek.  xxi.  1-7.        2  -^q\^  into  water.        ^  Ezek.  xxi.  8-13. 

■*  This  passage  is  so  corrupt  that  any  rendering  of  it  must  be 
conjectural.  Gesenius  translates  it,  "  It  is  sharpened  against 
the  prince  of  the  tribe  of  my  son  (Judah)  who  despises  all  wood  " 
— that  is,  all  the  lighter  punishments  of  the  past.  Ewald,  "  No 
weak  rod  of  my  sou,  the  feeblest  of  wood."     Wellhausen,  "  Not 


38  THE    CEISIS   AS   IT   APPEAEED    TO    EZEKIEL. 

be  grasped  in  the  hand !  Yes !  it  is  sharpened  and  whetted,  to 
give  it  to  the  hand  of  the  slayer!  12  Cry  and  howl,  O  son  of 
man  !  for  it  is  about  to  descend  on  My  people ;  on  all  the  princes 
of  Israel!  They  are  reserved  for  the  sword,  along  with  My 
people  !  Smite  therefore  on  thy  thigh,  in  sign  of  great  sorrow !  ^ 
13  For  the  sword  has  been  proved,  and  what  has  it  shown  itself? 
As  if  it  were  a  weak  rod  ?     No  !  verily  not !  ^ 

14  Thou,  therefore,  ^  son  of  man,  prophesy,  and  smite  your 
hands  together  in  despair;  the  sword  doubles,  aye,  trebles  its 
fury  ;  it  slays  the  multitude ;  it  slays  the  great ;  it  searches  into 
the  inmost  chamber.'*  15  That  their  hearts  may  despair,  and  that 
many  may  fall,  I  have  set  the  flashing  sword  before  all  her 
gates !  Ah  !  how  it  glitters  like  lightning ;  how  it  is  whetted 
for  the  slaughter!  16  Up,  Sword!  smite  eagerly  on  the  right! 
turn  swiftly  to  the  right !  turn  swiftly  to  the  left !  Turn  whither- 
soever thou  art  appointed!  17  I,  Jehovah,  will  smite  My  hands 
together  against  them,  in  fierce  indignation,  and  let  loose  My 
wrath  !    I,  Jehovah  have  said  it. 

Hitherto  Ezekiel  had  spoken  in  figures,  but  the  time 
had  come  to  speak  plainly.     His  countrymen   are  to  be 

weak  as  the  rod;  not  the  most  contemptible  of  all  wood." 
Arnheim,  "  A  glittering  terror ;  a  scourge  that  makes  men  howl ; 
sparing  no  tree."  Noyes,  "Or  shall  we  make  mirth?  The 
staff  of  my  son  depiseth  every  rod."  De  Wette,  substantially  as 
in  the  text  above.  Eichhorn,  "Ah  thou  (Zedekiah),  who  bearest 
the  kingly  staff,  the  sceptre  of  My  people ;  the  sword  laughs  at 
every  such  bit  of  wood  !  " 

^  To  smite  on  the  thigh  is  often  used  as  a  token  of  great  trouble 
of  mind.  See  Jer.  xxxi.  19.  Iliad,  xii.  162;  xv.  397.  Plutarch 
also  tells  us,  that  when  Fabius  saw  his  men  flee,  he  gave  a  great 
groan  and  smote  on  his  thigh. 

2  Ewald.  Eichhorn's  rendering  of  this  passage,  which  is  so 
corrupt  in  its  text  as  to  defy  translators,  is,  "  The  proof  is  made  : 
how  ?  should  not  the  sword  mock  at  the  mere  rod  ?  " 

3  Ezek.  xxi.  14-17. 

4  Eichliorn.  De  Wette  is  virtually  the  same.  Only  a  guess 
at  the  meaning  can  be  made  in  this,  as  in  the  other  instances 
of  defective  text  I  have  noted. 


THE    CRISIS   AS   IT    APPEARED  TO    EZEKIEL.  39 

told  that  Nebucliadnezzar  is_,  already,,  virtually,  on  the 
march,  against  Judah  and  Ammon,  which  have  both 
thrown  off  their  allegiance.  It  was  a  question,  to  which 
he  would  first  turn  ;  the  people  of  Jerusalem  hoping  that 
he  would  march  against  Ammon  before  attacking  their 
own  city,  and  thus  give  them  full  time  to  prepare,  and 
to  summon  to  their  aid  ^  the  Egyptian  army  on  which 
they  depended.  But,  contrary  to  this,  the  prophet 
announces  that  Jehovah  will  send  the  Chaldean  king 
directly  against  Jerusalem.  He  is,  therefore,  pictured 
as  standing  at  the  parting  of  the  roads  to  Ammon  and 
the  Holy  City,  uncertain  which  to  enter,  and  consulting 
his  oracle  for  direction.  But  Jehovah  gives  the  answer. 
Even  this  warning,  however,  may  fall  on  deaf  ears  ;  if  so, 
the  heavier  will  the  fearful  vengeance  of  the  Almighty 
burst  on  the  perjured  Zedekiah  and  on  his  princes. 

i8  The  word  of  Jehovah  came  to  me  again,  saying :  -  19  Son  of 
man !  Fix  ^  on  two  roads  by  which  the  sword  of  the  king  of  Babel 
may  come;  let  both  run  out  from  one  country,  and  hew  thee  a 
fingerpost"*  such  as  stands  at  the  head  of  the  way  to  a  city.  20 
Let  it  point  in  one  direction  so  that  the  sword  may  come  to 
Rabbath  of  the  Ammonites,  °  and  in  the  other,  that  it  may  come 
to  Judah  and  the  strong-walled  Jerusalem  !  21  For  the  king  of 
Babylon  stands  at  the  parting  of  the  roads,  at  the  head  'of  the 
two  ways,  to  use  divination  as  to  which  he  should  take.  He 
shakes  in  a  quiver  the  two  arrows,  ^  marked  Ammon  and  Jeru- 
salem, to  see  which  will  be  drawn  out  first  by  one  blindfolded  ;  ^ 
he  consults  his   idols ;   he  looks    at   the  liver  of   the  sacrifices.'^ 

1  Ezek.  xvii.  2  Ezek.  xxi.  18-23.         3  Li^.,  "  make  thee." 

4  Lit.,  "  cut  a  hand."  ^  gee  vol.  iii.  p.  251. 

®  This  was  a  common  form  of  divination  among  the  heathen 
Arabs.  Perceval,  Essai  sur  Vhistoire  des  Arahes,  1847,  vol.  ii.  p. 
310.  On  divination  by  the  liver,  see  Lenormant,  La  Divination, 
n.bS. 

7  Smend.  ^  Cic,  De  Div.,  i.  16  ;  ii.  13.     Diod.,  ii.  49. 


40  THE    CRISIS   AS   IT   APPEARED   TO   EZEKIEL. 

22  In  his  right  hand — the  fortunate  one — is  already  the  arrow 
marked  "Jerusalem"  which  has  been  drawn  by  him  from  the 
quiver.  He  orders  forward  the  battering  rams,  to  open  a  breach 
by  breaking  down  the  wall ;  ^  he  commands  that  the  loud  battle 
cry  be  given ;  that  the  battering  rams  be  set  up  at  the  gates ; 
that  an  enclosing  mound  be  raised ;  that  a  tower  be  built,  to 
sweep  the  top  of  the  wall.  23  To  the  people  in  Jerusalem  all 
this  seems  a  false  prophecy  ;  they  think  they  will  have  weeks 
upon  weeks  of  respite  ;  ^  but  Jehovah  will  call  their  iniquity  to 
remembrance  that  they  may  be  taken  ! 

24  Therefore,  ^  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  ;  Because  ye  bring 
your  iniquity  to  remembrance,  so  that  your  transgressions  come 
to  the  light,  and  your  sins,  in  all  your  conduct,  appears  ;  because 
ye  bring  them  to  remembrance,  you  will  be  taken  by  His  hand  ! 
25  And  thou,  wicked,  falling  '*  prince  of  Israel,  Zedekiah,  whose 
day  is  come — the  day  of  thy  uttermost  punishment !  26  As  to 
thee,  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  "  Take  off  his  royal  turban ! 
Off  with  his  crown  !  "  This  humbled  and  ruined  kingdom  is  not 
the  kingdom  to  come  hereafter — that  of  the  promised  Messiah  ! 
The  low  shall  be  exalted  and  the  high  abased !  27  I  will  bring 
the  city  to  ruins,  to  ruins,  to  ruins ;  what  has  been  shall  be  no 
more,  till  He  come  whose  right  it  is ;  to  Him  will  I  give  it ! 

In  the  troubled  time  of  Jehoiakim's  reign  the  Am- 
monites, in  common  with  the  Moabites  and  Edomites, 
had  shown  their  hereditary  hatred  of  Israel,  by  joining 
flying»columns  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  troops  in  harassing 
and  plundering  Judah.^  Since  then,  they,  like  others, 
had  felt  the  heavy  pressure  of  the  Chaldean  yoke,  and,  in 
common  with  the  different  kingdoms  of  Palestine,  had 
plotted  a  rebellion.  Envoys  from  their  king,  as  we  have 
seen,  had  met  ambassadors  from  Edom,  Moab,  Tyre,  and 
Sid  on,  at  Jerusalem,  to  form  a  league  against  Babylon ; 

1  Schrader.    Be  Wette. 

2  Ewald.  8mend.  The  Heb.  for  oath,  Sheba,  means  also  a  week, 
and  the  form  in  the  text  is  capable  of  both  renderings. 

3  Ezek.  xxi.  24-27.  *  =  doomed  to  be  slain. 
^  2  Kings  xxiv.  2. 


THE    CRISIS   AS   IT   APPEARED   TO   EZEKIEL.  41 

Egypt  having  promised  to  aid  them.  Zedekiah  had, 
doubtless,  relied  on  this  support,  especially  as  Ammon 
had  compromised  itself  deeply  by  its  truculent  bearing 
towards  the  Great  King.  But  Ezekiel  knew  how  worth- 
less this  confidence  would  prove.  Hastening  to  submit, 
on  the  first  approach  of  the  invader,  Ammon  and  the 
other  Palestine  states  of  the  south  and  east,  would  throw 
themselves  into  the  contest  as  the  allies  of  the  Chaldeans 
and  the  exulting  foes  of  Judah.  For  this  they,  too,  would 
receive  heavy  punishment  at  the  hand  of  God.  Lying 
prophets  in  Ammon  itself  had  predicted  its  safety  when 
the  storm  should  burst,  and  in  anticipation  of  this  it  had 
already  shown  its  insincerity.  A  short  time  before,  the 
fawning  ally  of  Judah,  it  now  aSected  to  treat  her  with 
scorn.  Under  these  circumstances,  Ezekiel  was  com- 
missioned to  denounce  its  king  and  people. 

28  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  concerning  the  Ammonites,* 
and  concerning  the  scorn  they  pour  on  Judah  :  Say  thou,  the 
sword,  the  sword,  is  drawn  for  the  slaughter :  it  is  whetted  to 
the  uttermost,  to  flash  destruction !  29  Thou  trustest  to  deceitful 
visions  of  thy  prophets,  and  lettest  lies  be  declared  to  thee,  that 
the  sword  will  descend  only  on  the  neck  of  Israel,  as  doomed  to 
fall  for  its  wickedness — Israel,  whose  day,  thou  sayest,  approaches, 
when  its  sin  shall  receive  final  punishment !  30  Put  thy  ^word 
back  into  its  sheath !  In  your  own  land,  whence  you  sprang,  the 
land  of  your  birth,  I  will  judge  you.  31  And  I  will  pour  out  my 
wrath  on  you;  I  will  blow  on  you  the  fire  of  My  indignation,- 
and  give  you  into  the  hand  of  wild  men,  skilled  in  destroying. 
32  You  shall  become  food  for  fire  :  your  blood  shall  be  poured 
out  on  the  earth.  You  will  be  no  more  remembered,  for  I,  Jehovah, 
have  said  it ! 

1  Ezek.  xxii.  28-32. 

"  The  wrath  of  God  is  conceived  as  breathing  forth  flames 
against  His  enemies. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE   EVE    OP   THE    SIEGE   OP   JERUSALEM. 

THE  guilt  which  was  about  to  bring  down  the  ruin 
of  the  Jewish  State  had  been,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
constant  theme  of  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  for  many  years ; 
but  the  hope  of  future  reformation  so  entirely  depended 
on  its  being  kept  before  the  public  mind,  with  all  its 
terrible  results,  that  no  repetition  seemed  too  frequent. 
It  was,  in  fact,  by  this  unwearied  presentation  of  the  truth, 
to  the  minds  of  their  contemporaries,  however  much  they 
disliked  it,  that  these  great  preachers  ultimately  awakened 
the  national  conscience,  and  led  to  that  amazing  reaction 
from  the  idolatry  of  the  past,  of  which  Judaism,  in  its 
later  development,  became  the  embodiment. 

Never  in  the  history  of  nations,  so  far  as  appears,  has 
a  sacred  order  anywhere  risen,  so  earnest,  so  self-sacri- 
ficing, so  noble  in  their  purity  of  life,  so  lofty  in  their 
realization  of  the  true  and  eternal,  so  bravely  faithful 
in  their  battle  with  sin,  as  the  Hebrew  prophets.  They, 
in  fact,  believed  what  they  said,  and  spoke  accordingly. 
No  fear  of  the  great,  or  of  the  multitude,  could  silence 
them.  Appointed  to  proclaim  the  whole  truth,  without 
circumlocution  or  mitigation,  they  did  so,  however  in- 
vidious, "vulgar,^^  *^^  censorious,^'  unpopular,  or  perilous 
the  duty.     Fashionable  preachers  of  the  day  there  were 


THE    EVE    OF    THE    SIEGE    OP   JERUSALEM.  43 

in  abundance ;  toning  down  the  Word  of  God  to  suit 
their  audiences ;  astutely  careful  to  let  abuses  lie  undis- 
turbed, to  flatter  the  great,  to  avoid  whatever  was  dis- 
agreeable to  their  patrons,  and,  like  keen  and  crafty  men 
of  the  world,  to  make  sure  of  as  much  of  this  life 
as  they  could,  lest  they  should  by  any  chance  come  short 
in  the  other.  The  fidelity  of  the  true  prophets  was  ill 
calculated  to  promote  their  worldly  interests,  but  their 
names  live  for  evermore ;  their  self-sacrifice  was  the 
regeneration  of  their  race,  and  they  remain  for  all  ages 
the  ideal  of  true  preachers.  Does  our  nineteenth  century 
realize  the  lesson  of  their  example  ? 

In  the  enumeration  of  the  sins  of  his  contemporaries, 
Ezekiel  had  laid  especial  stress  on  their  idolatry;  but  the 
general  corruption  of  the  times  had  not  escaped  his  lash. 
One  sin,  however,  among  many,  had  not  been  denounced 
as  yet  with  the  same  fulness  as  others.  The  treatment 
of  their  banished  brethren,  by  those  who  remained  in 
Palestine,  had  been  shameful.  They  had  been  piteously 
cheated  and  over-reached  in  the  forced  sales  of  their 
goods  and  property  when  hurried  ofi*.  This  was  now  to 
be  laid  to  the  charge  of  the  extortioners.  The  new  lords 
of  the  city,  moreover,  had  proved  as  lawless  as  their  pre- 
decessors;  anarchy  reigned ;  the  streets  were  daugerous 
from  the  number  of  murders,  and  society  was  dissolving 
into  its  elements.  The  men  who  had  been  banished  for 
their  sins  had,  in  fact,  been  better  men  than  those  left 
behind.  A  stern  indictment  of  such  a  state  of  things 
was  demanded. 

I  The  word  of  Jehovah — he  tells  us— came  to  him,  saying :  2  Son 
of  man, ^  if  you  judge  the  bloody  city,  Jerusalem,  do  it  so  as  to 
show  her  all  her  abominations  !    3  Say  to  her,  Thus  says  the  Lord 

I  Ezek.  xxii.  1-5. 


44  THE    EVE    OF   THE    SIEGE    OF   JERUSALEM. 

Jehovah :  0  city,  in  whose  midst  blood  is  poured  out,  drawing 
on  the  time  of  thy  doom ;  O  city,  defiled  by  the  loathsome  gods 
she  makes  for  herself  :  4  Thou  art  guilty  through  the  blood  thou 
hast  shed,  and  art  defiled  by  the  loathsome  gods  thou  hast  made 
for  thyself ;  thou  hast  brought  near  the  days  of  thy  punishment, 
and  hastened  the  years  of  thy  retribution  !  Because  of  thy  sins 
I  will  make  thee  the  contempt  of  the  heathen ;  the  mockery  of  all 
lands !  5  The  near  and  the  far  off  will  alike  deride  thee,  and  call 
thee  "thou  city  of  a  stained  name,  and  of  restless  confusion  !" 

6  Behold,^  the  princes  of  Israel,  thy  aristocracy,  have  sought, 
every  one,  to  shed  blood  in  thee  to  his  utmost.  7  Men  have  de- 
spised father  and  mother  in  thee ;  the  stranger  has  been  treated 
unjustly  in  thy  midst ;  the  fatherless  and  the  widow  have  been 
oppressed  in  thee.  8  Thou  hast  despised  My  holy  things  by  thine 
idolatry.  Thou  hast  dishonoured  My  Sabbaths  ;  9  men  seeking 
to  murder  by  spreading  slanderous  lies,  are  in  thee.  Thy  people 
eat  idol  sacrifices  on  the  mountains ;  lewdness  is  committed  in 
thee ;  10  men  expose  their  father's  shame,-  and  go  near  her  who 
is  legally  unclean.^  1 1  One  commits  abomination  with  his  neigh- 
bour's wife ;  another  basely  defiles  his  daughter-in-law ;  another 
humbles  his  sister,  his  father's  daughter  !  12  Men  shed  blood  in 
thee  for  hire;  thou  takest  usury  and  increase;  thou  hast  over- 
reached thy  fellow-citizens,  and  wrung  unjust  gain  from  them  by 
violence,  and  hast  forgotten  Me,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  ! 

13  Behold,^  for  this,  I  clap  my  hands  together  in  indignation  at 
thee,  when  I  think  of  the  dishonest  gains  thou  hast  made,  and 
of  the  blood  that  has  flowed  in  thy  midst.  14  I  laugh  at  the  folly 
of  thy  sin,  knowing  how  near  is  thine  end  !  Will  thy  heart  bear 
up,  or  thy  hands  keep  their  strength,  in  the  days  when  I  deal 
with  thee!  I,  Jehovah,  speak,  and  will  act!  15  I  will  scatter 
thee  among  the  heathen,  and  disperse  thee  through  the  lands,  and 
destroy  thy  uncleanness  out  of  thee,  16  and  punish  thee  so  that 
I  shall  seem  dishonoured  in  the  sight  of  the  heathen,  in  bringing 
such  suffering  on  thee,^  and  thus  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am 
Jehovah ! 

1  Ezek.  xxii.  6-12.  2  ^^^  ^^^^i  q_i>^  .  ^x.  11.     1  Cor.  v.  1. 

*  Lev.  xii.  2 ;  xviii.  19.  "  Ezek.  xxii.  13-16. 

*  This  clause  may  be  read,  "  thou  shalt  be  polluted  in  thyself," 
or,  "by  thine  own  story."  But  this  hardly  suits  the  context  and 
is  not  so  striking. 


THE    EVE    OF    THE    SIEGE    OF   JERUSALEM.  45 

Such  was  the  wicked  city ;  but  its  day  of  reckoning 
was  at  hand.  Its  fine  gold  had  become  dim_,  its  silver, 
dross;  what  pure  ore  there  was  must  be  separated  from 
the  mass  of  worthless  alloy,  and  this  the  miseries  of  the 
siege,  like  the  flames  of  a  refiner's  furnace,  would  effect ! 

1 8  Son  of  man,^  said  the  secret  Divine  Voice,  the  House  of  Israel 
has  become  dross  to  Me.^  They  are  all  of  them  brass,  and  tin, 
and  iron,  and  lead,  in  the  smelting  furnace ;  the  dross  of  silver. 
19  Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  Because  ye  have  all 
become  dross,  throughout  Judah,  behold  I  will  throw  you  into 
the  midst  of  Jerusalem,  as  into  a  furnace,  to  purify  you  by  the 
flames  of  the  siege.^  20  ^s  they  cast  silver,  and  brass,  and  iron, 
and  lead,  and  tin,  into  the  furnace,  to  blow  fire  on  it  and  smelt 
it ;  so  will  I  cast  you  into  the  furnace  of  war,  and  smelt  you,  in 
my  anger  and  fury.  21  Yes  !  I  will  gather  you  together  into  Jeru- 
salem, and  blow  on  you  with  the  flames  of  my  wrath  till  ye  be 
melted  down  in  it.  22  As  they  smelt  silver  in  the  furnace,  so 
shall  ye  be  melted  down  in  the  midst  of  Jerusalem,  and  ye  shall 
know  that  I,  Jehovah,  have  poured  out  My  fury  upon  you ! 

All  ranks  in  Judah  were  hopelessly  corrupt ;  prophets, 
priests,  nobles,  and  people.  Even  the  king  did  nothing 
to  save  the  state.  It  only  remained  to  leave  it  to  de- 
struction. 

24  Son  of  man,'*  say  ro  Judah :  Thou  art  barren  and  unfruitful, 
like  a  land  which  has  no  rain  or  moisture  in  the  day  of  wrath ! 
25  Her  princes^  in  her  midst  are  like^  a  roaring  lion  greedy  for 
prey ;  they  devour  souls  ;  seize  property  and  goods ;  and  multiply 
the  widows  in  her  midst !  26  Her  priests  violate  My  law  and 
profane  My  holy  things ;  they  make  no  diSerence  between  the 
holy  and  common ;  they  teach  no  distinction  between  clean  and 

I  Ezek.  xxii.  17-22.  2  jga  i.  22. 

^  They  would  flee  to  Jerusalem  at  the  approach  of  the  Chal- 
deans. 

4  Ezek.  xxii.  23-31.  5  ^g^^.     x'eiZ.     See  ver.  28. 

*  The  change  of  one  letter  gives  this  sense. 


46  THE    EVE    OF    THE    SIEGE    OF  JERUSALEM. 

unclean,  and  hide  their  eyes  from  My  Sabbaths,  so  that  I  am 
profaned  among  them !  27  Her  chief  men  are  like  greedy  wolves, 
eager  to  shed  blood,  to  destroy  souls,  to  win  gain !  28  Her  pro- 
phets deceive  them  with  mock  hopes,^  giving  pretended  visions 
and  predicting  lies  to  them,  saying,  "  Thus  says  Jehovah," 
though  He  has  not  spoken !  29  The  people  of  the  land  practise 
violence,  and  commit  robbery,  oppress  the  poor  and  helpless,  and 
do  illegal  wrong  to  the  stranger !  30  I  sought,  therefore,  for  one 
among  them  all  that  would  fill  in  the  gaps  in  the  wall,  and  keep 
out  My  wrath,  and  that  would  stand  in  the  breach  before  Me, 
by  prayer  and  holy  life,  to  save  the  land,  and  turn  Me  back  from 
destroying  it ;  but  I  found  none  !  I  will,  therefore,  pour  out  My 
indignation  upon  them;  31  I  will  consume  them  in  the  flames 
of  My  wrath ;  I  will  pour  their  doings  on  their  own  head,  saith 
the  Lord  Jehovah ! 

Sucli  a  moral  reformation  as  these  utterances  de- 
manded was  hopeless,  so  long  as  idolatry — the  source 
of  all  debasement — was  cherished  in  Judah.  To  restore 
the  sincere  worship  of  Jehovah  was  imperative,  if  a  purer 
and  better  state  of  things  were  to  be  attained.  Now, 
therefore,  once  more,  at  the  eleventh  hour,  Ezekiel  re- 
turned to  the  subject  in  a  vivid  allegory,  in  which 
Samaria  and  Jerusalem,  the  representatives  of  Israel 
and  Judah,  are  delineated  under  the  figure  of  two 
sisters,  whose  career  had  been  shameful.  The  name  of 
Aholah,  the  elder,  showed  the  difference  between  the  Ten 
Tribes  and  Judah,  for  it  meant,  "  She  hath  her  own  tent," 
or  temple,  in  allusion  to  the  Northern  Kingdom  having 
framed  a  new  religion,  and  repudiated,  from  the  first, 
the  pure  faith  of  Jehovah.  The  name  of  the  younger, 
Aholibah,  "My  tent,  or  temple,  is  in  her,"*^  marked  the 
special  glory  of  Jerusalem.  By  a  usage  familiar  in  the 
prophets,  the  idolatry  of  the  two  is  denounced  as  adultery; 
Jehovah  being  regarded  as  their  husband.     The  division 

*  Lit.,  "  daub  them  with  white  plaster." 


THE    EVE    OF    THE    SIEGE    OF   JERUSALEM.  47 

into  two  kingdoms  is  represented  as  practically  dating 
from  the  Egyptian  bondage,  though  historically  so  much 
later.  In  a  former  address  Ezekiel  had  reminded  his 
people  of  the  idolatry  of  their  forefathers  in  the  distant 
past ;  ^  he  now  recalls  their  recent  history,  in  its  relation 
to  the  heathenism  of  Assyria,  Babylon  and  Egypt.  To 
our  Western  ideas  his  sensuous  imagery  seems  strange, 
but  the  Children  of  the  Sun  have  in  all  asfes  had  modes 
of  speech  very  different  from  those  of  the  people  of 
colder  lands. 

I  The  word  of  Jehovah  2  went  forth  to  me  again,  saying :  2  Son  of 
man,  there  were  two  women,  the  daughter  of  one  mother, ^  3  and 
they  committed  sin  in  Egypt;  behaving  shamefully  even  in  their 
youth.  4  Their  names  were  Aholah,  the  elder,  and  AhoHbah,  her 
sister,  and  I  became  their  husband,  and  they  bore  sons  and 
daughters  :  Aholah  became  Samaria,  and  AhoUbah,  Jerusalem.'* 

5  But  Aholah'5— that  is,  Samaria— played  the  harlot,  although 
she  was  now  Mine,  and  she  sighed^  after  her  lovers ;  above  all,  after 
the  warrior  Assyrians, ^  6  clothed  in  blue  or  violet  purple — pashas^ 
and  rulers,^  all  of  them  handsome  men,  in  their  early  prime, 
cavaliers  riding  on  horses.  7  And  she  gave  herself  up  to  sin  with 
them — with  the  chosen  sons  of  Assyria ;  and  defiled  herself  with 
all  the  loathsome  gods,  after  which  she  sighed.  8  Yet  she  did  not 
give  up  her  idolatries  brought  from  Egypt,"^  for  in  her  youth  she 
had  yielded  to  them.  9  For  this  reason  I  delivered  her  into  the 
hand  of  those  she  loved,  into  the  hand  of  the  Assyrians,  after 

*  Ezek.  xvi.  -  Ezek.  xxiii.  1-4.  3  garah. 

*  They  were  already  fallen  when  Jehovah  took  them  as  His. 
5  Ezek.  xxiii.  5-10. 

^  Loved  inordinately,  looked  amorously  towards,  made  eyes  to. 

'  The  Hebrew  word  for  "neighbours  "  is  almost  identical  with 
that  for  "  war,"  and  this  in  the  plural  seems  to  give  the  best  sense. 

^  Prefects  of  divisions  of  Satrapies. 

^  Sagans  =  Assyrian,  Sakan.  It  means  one  "appointed"  "com- 
missioned "  from  the  king.     Schrader,  Keilinsclirift'en,  p.  270. 

^°  Exod.  iii.  13;  xxiii.  4.  Josh.  xxiv.  14.  Ezek.  viii.  7-10;  xvi. 
26 ;  XX.  4. 


48  THE    EVE   OP   THE   SIEGE   OP  JERUSALEM. 

whom  she  sighed,  lo  and  they  dealt  shamefully  with  her,  took 
her  sons  and  her  daughters  into  captivity,  and  slew  her,  herself, 
with  the  sword,  and  thus  she  became  a  warning^  to  women,  for 
the  Assyrians  carried  out  My  judgment  upon  her. 

Instead,  however,  of  being  warned  by  the  example  of 
the  Northern  Kingdom,  Judah  sinned  still  more  than 
sbe.  Not  content  with  introducing  Assyrian  idolatry, 
she  adopted  that  of  the  Babylonians  also,  and  even,  in 
the  end,  went  after  that  of  Egypt  with  more  greediness 
than  ever.  Thus,  tbe  measure  of  ber  sins  was  at  last 
fuU. 

II  But  though  her  sister  Aholibah^ — Jerusalem — saw  this,  she 
became  even  viler  in  her  wickedness,  and  worse  in  her  idolatries, 
than  Aholah  had  been.  12  For  she,  too,  sighed  after  the  warrior 
Assyrians,  pashas  and  rulers,  gorgeously  arrayed  cavaliers  riding 
on  horses,  all  of  them  handsome  men,  in  their  early  prime. 
13  Then  I  saw  that  she,  also,  was  defiled ;  that  both  sisters  took 
one  way;  Aholibah — 14  Jerusalem — even  increased  her  sins.  For 
when  she  saw  pictures  of  men  on  her  house  walls,  ^  likenesses  of 
Chaldeans  painted  with  vermilion,  15  with  splendid  girdles  round 
their  waists,  and  many-coloured  turbans  on  their  heads,  the  ends 
hanging  down  behind — all  like  lords  to  look  at — the  pictures  of 
the  sons  of  Babylon,  whose  birthplace  is  Chaldea — 16  when  she 
saw  these  with  her  eyes,  she  forthwith  fell  in  love  with  them, 
and  sent  messengers  to  them,  to  Chaldea."*  17  And  the  sons  of 
Babylon  came  to  her,  and  they  defiled  her  with  their  idolatry, 
and  she  was  polluted  by  them.  But  ere  long  she  was  not  con- 
tented ev^en  with  them,  and  her  mind  was  alienated  from  them. 
18    She  became   shameless,  in    fact,   and    set   on   all    kinds   of 

1  Lit.,  "  a  name."  2  Ezek.  xxiii.  11-18. 

^  An  allusion  to  the  introduction  of  paintings  on  the  walls  of 
the  mansions  of  Jerusalem,  in  imitation  of  the  custom  in  Babylon. 
Eastern  women  shut  up  in  their  harems  could  only  thus  be  ac- 
quainted with  strangers,  at  first. 

^  She  sent  messengers  to  learn  their  religion  and  bring  it  back 
with  them. 


THE    EVE    OP    THE    SIEGE    OF   JERUSALEM.  49 

idolatry.  Then  My  mind,  also,  was  alienated  from  her,  as  it  had 
been  from  her  sister,  Samaria, 

19  Yet  she  still  multiplied  her  sins,^  bethinking  herself  of  the 
days  of  her  youth,  when  she  had  played  the  harlot  against  Me  in 
Egypt.  20  And  she  drove  unchaste  love  with  the  idolatries  of 
Egypt,"  idolatries  rank  as  the  flesh  of  he-asses;  gods  lustful  as 
stallions.  21  Yes!  thou  soughtest  again  the  sins  of  thy  youth, 
committed  when,  of  old,  thou  wentest  after  the  idols  of  Egypt. 

22  Therefore,  Jerusalem,^  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah. :  Behold, 
I  will  stir  up  thy  lovers  against  thee,  from  whom  thy  mind  is 
now  alienated,  and  I  will  bring  them  against  thee  on  every  side, 
23  the  sons  of  Babylon  and  all  the  Chaldeans ;  its  supreme  power, 
its  nobles,  and  princes,*  and  all  the  Assyrians  with  them;  all 
handsome  young  men,  pashas  and  rulers,  lords,  and  men  of  name,* 
all  of  them  cavaliers  on  horses.  24  They  shall  come  against 
thee — not  now,  as  lovers,  but  with  the  tumult  of  war  chariots 
and  clashing  wheels,^  and  with  an  army  of  different  nations,  who 
will  press  against  thee  on  every  side,  in  full  armour,  with  the 
large  shield  covering  the  whole  body,  the  small  target  on  the 
arm,  and  the  helmet.  And  I  will  commit  matters  to  them,  and 
they  will  judge  thee  by  their  pitiless  laws  of  war.  25  And  I  will 
let  my  jealousy  come  on  thee,  and  they  will  deal  cruelly  with 
thee;  for  they  will  cut  off  thy  nose  and  thine  ears ; ''  the  survivors 
of  thy  manhood  will  fall  by  their  sword ;  they  will  Ifearry  off  your 
young  sons  and  your  daughters,  to  sell  as  slaves,  and  what  men  are 
left  of  thee  will  perish  in  the  conflagration  of  the  city.  26  They 
will  also  strip  off  thy  clothes,  and  plunder  thee  of  thy  fine  array 

1  Ezek.  xxiii.  19-21.  2  lj^.,  "  her  (Egyptian)  paramours.*' 

3  Ezek.  xxiii.  22-27. 

^  Miililau  und  Volck.  Gesenius.  Keil.  Hengstenherg.  Pekod  = 
"infliction  of  punishment."  An  allegorical  name  for  Babel  in 
Jer.  1.  21.  Shoa  =  noble,  Koa  =  prince.  Lit.,  a  "  stallion  or  breeding 
camel,"  which  must  be  of  noble  blood. 

*  Councillors,  Keil. 

*  Smend.  Miihlau  und  Yolck  render  it,  "with  weapons  of 
attack." 

7  This  has  always  been  and  still  is  the  practice  in  war,  in  the 
East.  See  Winer,  art.  Leihesstrafen.  In  Egypt,  the  nose  of  adul- 
terers was  cut  off.     Biod.  Sic,  i.  78. 

VOL.    VI.  B 


50  THE    EVE    OF   THE    SIEGE    OF   JERUSALEM. 

of  ornaments.  27  Tims,  if  no  other  way,  since  thou  refusest  all 
warnings,  I  will  root  out  thy  idolatry  from  thee,  and  tby  heathen- 
ism, brought  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  so  that  thou  shalt  not  lift 
up  thine  eyes  to  them,  or  think  on  Egypt  any  more. 

28  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah :  ^  Behold  I'  will  give  thee 
into  the  hand  of  those  whom  thou  once  lovedst,  but  now  hatest : 
into  the  hand  of  them  from  whom  thy  mind  is  now  alienated. 

29  And  they  will  treat  thee  with  hatred— and  take  away  all  thy 
gains,  and  leave  thee  naked  and  bare,  and  the  shame  of  thy 
idolatry  shall  be  exposed ;  thy  unfaithfulness  and  thy  heathenism. 

30  I  will  do  this  to  thee  because  thou  hast  sought  after  the  idols 
of  the  heathen,  and  because  thou  hast  defiled  thyself  with  these 
loathsome  gods.  31  Thou  hast  gone  in  the  steps  of  thy  sister, 
Samaria;  therefore  I  will  give  thee  her  cup  into  thy  hand! 

The  mention  of  the  cup  of  God's  wrath  leads  the  pro- 
phet to  dwell  on  the  figure. 

32  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  i^  Thou  shalt  drink  of  thy 
sister's  cup — the  cup  of  misery,  deep  and  wide,  which  holds  much, 
and  will  make  thee  be  laughed  to  scorn  and  had  in  derision. 
33  For  thou  shalt  be  filled  with  the  drunkenness  of  grief  and  sor- 
row; with  the  cup  of  desolation  and  ruin  ;  with  the  cup  thy  sister 
Samaria  has  drunk.  34  Thou  wilt  drink  it  up  and  drain  it  to  the 
dregs;  craunching  up  its  very  pieces,  as  a  wild  beast  does  the 
bones  of  its  prey,  and  tearing  thy  bosom ;  for  I  have  spoken  it, 
saith  the  Lord  Jehovah.  35  Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jeho- 
vah :  Behold  thou  hast  forgotten  Me,  and  cast  Me  behind  thy 
back ;  bear  thou  the  punishment  of  thy  unfaithfulness  and 
idolatry ! 

The  guilt  and  deserved  fate  of  both  kingdoms  is  now 
recapitulated  with  still  greater  minuteness.  They  have 
served  idols ;  given  their  children  to  Moloch ;  profaned 
even  the  temple  by  heathenism,  and  gone  to  distant 
lands  for  new  gods.     Their  sin  must  be  sorely  punished ! 

36  Jehovah  said,  farther,  to  me  :  ^  Son  of  man,  step  forth  as 

1  Ezek.  xxiii.  28-31.  2  Ezek.  xxiii.  32-35. 

3  Ezek.  xxiii.  36-39. 


THE    EVE    OF    THE    SIEGE    OP   JERUSALEM.  51 

accuser  of  Aholah  ^  and  Aholibah,  and  show  tliem  their  abomin- 
ations— yj  that  they  have  committed  spiritual  adultery;  that 
blood  is  on  their  hands ;  for  they  have  committed  adultery  with 
their  loathsome  gods,  and  have  even  given  up  their  children, 
whom  they  bore  to  Me,  as  offerings  to  these  idols,  burning  them  I 
38  Still  more,  they  have  done  this :  they  have  defiled  My  sanctuary, 
on  that  day  when  they  offered  up  their  children,  and  have  pro- 
faned My  Sabbaths.  39  For  when  they  had  slain  their  children,  as 
offerings  to  their  loathsome  gods,  on  the  same  day  they  entered 
My  temple,  polluted  as  they  were,  and  thus  profaned  it ;  lo,  they 
practised  idolatry  even  in  the  midst  of  My  house  ! 

40  Yes,  thou  sentest  for  men  ^  to  come  from  distant  lands,  de- 
spatching a  messenger  to  them,  and,  lo,  when  they  came,  thou 
bathedst  thyself  for  them,  paintedst  thine  eyes,^  and  arrayed 
thyself  with  thy  jewels.  41  And  thou  satest  thyself  upon  a  grand 
couch,  and  set  out  a  table  before  them,'*  and  didst  put  on  it  My 
incense  and  My  oil.^  42  And  the  loud  tumult  of  voices  was  hushed 
as  they  sat  at  it,  and  to  the  mixed  crowd  of  these  men  were 
brought  others,  deep  drinkers,  from  the  wilderness,^  and  they 
put  bracelets  on  the  arms  of  the  two  sisters,  and  magnificent 
coronets  on  their  heads.  43  Then  said  I  to  her  that  was  worn  out 
with  adulteries — Aholah,  the  elder  sister,  long  given  to  idolatry 
— "  Will  these  people  now  commit  adultery  with  your  younger 
sister  also,  and  she  with  them  ?  Will  she  also  give  herself  up  to 
idolatry  ?  "  '^  44  But  they  came  to  her  also,  as  to  a  harlot ;  thus 
they  came  to  both  Aholah  and  Aholibah,  the  unchaste  women ! 

^  Ezekiel  here  speaks  against  Samaria,  nearly  150  years  after 
its  destruction. 

2  Ezek.  xxiii.  40-44. 

3  In  the  East  the  eyelids  are  painted  on  the  inner  edges  with 
Itolil,  a  dark  powder  (Heb.  puk),  a  mixture  of  lead  and  zinc.  This 
made  the  white  of  the  eyes  more  striking,  and  seemed  to  increase 
their  size. 

■*  The  idol  altar.  *  Which  should  have  been  offered  to  Me. 

^  Masoretic  note— Sobim  =  drinking  men,  or  drunkards.  Dent, 
xxi.  20.  The  men  represent  idols,  which  Jerusalem  and  Samaria 
adopted.  Some  of  these,  of  wilderness  tribes,  may  be  called 
drunkards,  from  wine  being  offered  them. 

^  The  text  is  apparently  corrupt.     But  this  seems  the  meaning 


52  THE    EVE    OF    THE    SIEGE    OP   JERUSALEM. 

45  But  righteous  men  ^  shall  judge  them,  as  adulteresses  and 
women  that  shed  blood  are  judged,^  because  they  are  adulteresses, 
and  blood  is  on  their  hands.  46  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah : 
I  will  bring  a  multitude  against  them,  and  give  them  up  to 
ill-treatment  and  plunder.  47  And  its  host  will  stone  them  with 
stones,  and  hew  them  in  pieces  with  swords ;  they  will  kill  their 
sons  and  daughters,  and  burn  their  houses  with  fire.  48  Thus 
will  I  make  idolatry ^  cease  out  of  the  land,  that  all  nations^ 
may  learn  not  to  do  after  their  sin.  49  And  they  shall  pay  back 
on  you  your  iniquity,  and  ye  shall  bear  the  sins  of  your  loathsome 
gods,  and  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah 

The  long-suffering  patience  of  God  was  now,  at  length, 
exhausted,  and  no  more  appeals  or  warnings  from  Him 
disturbed  the  doomed  capital.  But  the  voice  of  the 
prophet  was  to  be  heard  once  more,  though  only  to  pro- 
nounce final  sentence  on  his  brethren,  in  the  name  of  God. 
The  day  chosen  for  this  word  was  ominous ;  the  tenth 
month  of  the  ninth  year  of  Zedekiah,  about  the  tenth  of 
December,  B.C.  591 ;  ^  the  very  day  on  which  the  army 
of  Nebuchadnezzar  sat  down  before  Jerusalem  to  besiege 
it.*  The  form  of  a  parable,  so  frequent  with  Ezekiel,  is 
used.  The  citizens  had  done  their  best  to  prepare  for  a 
hard  siege,  but  they  felt  that,  at  best,  they  were  like 
flesh  in  a  cauldron,  to  be  sodden  by  the  fires  of  war.''' 
Ezekiel,  moreover,  had  told  them  that  their  own  chief 
men  had,  themselves,  made  the  city  a  flesh-pot,  by  the 
innocent  blood  shed  by  them  in  it,  and  that  these  guilty 
ones  would  on  that  account  be  given  to  the  foe.^  A  caul- 
dron is  now  again  seen  on  a  fire,  and,  after  being  filled 

1  Ezek.  xxiii.  45-49. 

2  All  the  honourable  men  of  a  village  were  summoned  to  try 
an  adulteress,  and  condemn  her  to  death  by  stoning,  if  guilty. 

3  Lit,  "lewdness."  ''  Lit.,  "women." 

*  Smend  has  B.C.  587  for  the  fall  of  the  city.    Most  say  B.C.  688. 

*  2  Kings  XXV.  1.     Jer.  lii.  4;  xxxix.  1.     Zech.  viii.  19. 
7  Ezek.  xi.  3-7.  »  Ezek.  xi.  7-11. 


THE    EVE    OF   THE    SIEGE    OP   JEKUSALEM.  53 

with  the  best  pieces  of  flesh,  is  made  to  boil  fiercely. 
But  it  is  found  to  be  foul  with  rust,  and  is  ordered  to  be 
emptied.  The  population  will  indeed  sufi'er  intensely, 
but  they  will  not  all  perish  in  their  city ;  they  will  be 
led  forth  to  captivity.  The  metaphor  is  in  some  degree 
mixed,  as  a  double  sense  was  intended.  The  boiling 
was  to  remove  the  rust,  that  is,  the  siege  was  to  reform 
the  people ;  but  failing  to  do  so,  banishment  must  follow. 

2  Son  of  raan,^  said  Jehovah,  write  down  the  exact  date  of  this 
day,  for  the  king  of  Babylon  has  on  this  very  day  begun  the  siege 
of  Jerusalem.  3  And  utter  a  parable  to  the  House  of  Disobe- 
dience, and  say  to  them  :  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Set  on  the 
cauldron,  set  it  on,  and  pour  water  into  it.  4  Put  the  pieces  to  be 
cooked  into  it,  every  good  piece,  the  thigh  and  the  shoulder ;  fill 
it  up  with  the  best  bones.  5  Take  only  the  best  sheep,  and  lay 
a  pile  of  wood  under  it ;  let  it  boil  well,  that  the  bones  in  it  may 
be  thoroughly  seethed. 

6  Of  a  truth,  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  Woe  to  the  city  of 
blood  !  to  the  cauldron  full  inside  with  rust;  the  old  rust  of  which 
is  not  cleansed  out  of  it !  Take  out  piece  by  piece ;  let  no  lot  be 
cast  to  take  one  and  leave  another !  7  For  blood  was  shed  by  her, 
in  her  midst.  She  let  it  flow  on  the  naked  rock,  where  it  lies 
uncovered,  calling  for  vengeance ;  she  did  not  let  it  run  on  the 
ground,  that  it  might  be  hidden  by  the  dust.  8  To  rouse  fury 
and  kindle  revenge,  I  have  let  the  blood  shed  in  her  be  thus 
poured  out  on  the  naked  rock,  that  it  might  not  be  covered  ! 

9  Therefore,-  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah:  Woe  to  the  city 
of  blood !  I  will  make  the  pile  of  faggots  under  thee  great. 
10  Heap  on  wood,  fan  up  the  fire;  make  ready  the  flesh,  boil  well 
the  broth,  let  the  bones  be  burnt !  1 1  Then  set  the  empty  cauldron 
on  the  coals,  that  its  brass  may  be  hot  and  glowing,  that  its 
filthiness  may  be  melted  in  it,  that  the  rust  may  be  consumed. 

12  With  weary  toil  has  Jehovah  laboured,  but  in  vain ;  its  thick 
rust  has  not  been  cleansed  from  it ;  let  the  fire  burn  the  rust ! 

13  Because  of  thy  filthy  lewdness ;  because,  though  I  would  have 
made  thee  clean,  thou  wouldst  not  be  made  so,  thou  shalt  be  no 

>  Ezek.  xxiv.  1-8.  2  Ezek.  xxiv.  9-14. 


54  THE    EVE    OP    THE    SIEGE    OP   JERUSALEM. 

more  clean  till  I  have  poured  out  my  wrath  upon  thee.  14  I, 
Jehovah,  have  spoken  ib;  it  shall  come  to  pass  ;  I  will  do  it ;  I 
will  not  go  back  from  it ;  ^  I  will  not  spare  or  show  pity.  Accord- 
ing to  thy  ways,  and  according  to  thy  doings,  shall  1 2  judge  thee, 
saith  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

Hitherto,  Ezekiel,^  though  forced  to  refrain  from 
speaking  in  public,  by  the  hostility  of  his  fellow- captives, 
had  had  the  unspeakable  consolation  of  a  happy  home. 
His  wife,  the  desire  of  his  eyes,  made  sunshine  to  him 
under  his  humble  roof,  if  there  were  clouds  and  darkness 
outside.  But  whom  the  Lord  loveth  He  chasteneth,  and 
His  faithful  prophet  was  no  exception  to  the  universal 
rule.  The  same  day  on  which  he  uttered  these  last 
words  over  the  guilty  and  doomed  Jerusalem,  the  very 
day  on  which  its  siege,  afar  off,  began,  was  memorable  to 
him  on  a  sadder  ground.  His  address  having  closed,  and 
his  audience  having  left  his  chamber,  the  little  heaven 
of  his  private  life,  hitherto  so  unclouded,  was  in  a 
moment  darkened.  An  intimation,  communicated  we 
know  not  how,  that  his  wife  was  to  die  suddenly,  chilled 
his  soul.  The  light  of  his  life  was  not  to  wane  by  a  slow 
setting,  but  to  go  down  at  midday,  leaving  him  without 
his  one  comforter  and  friend !  Nor  was  even  this  all. 
He  was  told  that  to  make  this  terrible  sorrow  a  lesson 
to  the  community  around,  no  customary  sounds  of  loud 
wailing  were  to  rise  from  his  dwelling ;  he  was  not,  like 
others,  to  mourn  for  the  loved  one  by  uncovering  the 
head  and  strewing  ashes  on  it ;  *  or  to  go  barefooted ;  ^ 
or  to  put  on  black  sackcloth,  or  to  cover  his  face  to  the 
mouth,  as  others  did,^  as  a  sign  that  he  wished  to  be  left 

*  Gesenius,  "  absolve  "  the  guilty.     ^  Sept.,  and  all  Versions. 
8  Ezek.  xxiv.  15-20. 

*  Isa.  Ixi.  3.     Lev.  xxi.  10.  ^  2  Sam.  xv.  30.     Isa.  xx.  2. 
«  Mic.  iii  7.    Lev.  xiii.  45.     Jer.  viii.  21.     Job  ii.  12,  13. 


THE    EVE    OF   THE    SIEGE    OP   JERUSALEM.  55 

in  silence;  or  even  to  eat  t"be  food  brought  on  sucli 
occasions  by  relations  and  friends.^  On  the  contrary,  he 
was  to  put  on  his  turban — the  usual  head  dress  of  a 
priest ;  -  to  wear  his  sandals,  and  his  ordinary  dress  ;  to 
refrain  from  covering  his  lips  with  his  robe ;  to  eat  every- 
day food  and  not  that  of  mourners ;  to  bear  himself,  in 
short,  as  if  the  calamity  were  too  overpowering  to  be 
expressed  by  the  common  symbols  of  grief. 

He  had  spoken  in  the  morning  to  the  people  who  had 
come  to  him,  and  then,  all  had  been  well  in  his  lowly 
home,  but  the  evening  fell  on  the  pale  face  of  his  dead 
wife. 

Yet  Ezekiel,  strong-minded,  and  nobly  acquiescent  in 
the  good  pleasure  of  Jehovah,  even  when  it  demanded 
most  at  his  hands,  appeared  next  morning,  as  he  had 
been  directed,  without  any  display  of  the  emblems  of 
sorrow.  No  cries  of  lament  rose  from  his  desolated 
home;  he  sought  no  seclusion.  Sympathizers,  flocking 
to  condole  with  him,  and  to  pay  the  wonted  rites  to  the 
dead,  were  confounded.  What  did  he  mean  ?  He  was 
a. prophet;  his  action  was  no  doubt  designed.  How 
could  he  thus  shock  public  feeling  ? 

21  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,'  answered  the  heart-broken 
man,  Behold,  I  am  about  to  profane  My  Sanctuary,  your  greatest 
pride  and  the  desire  of  your  eyes,  and  the  delight  of  your  soul;"* 
and  your  sons  and  your  daughters,  whom  you  have  left  behind 
you  in  Judah,  will  fall  by  the  sword.  22  But,  when  all  this  shall 
have  happened,  ye  shall  do  as  I  have  done,  now,  in  my  great 
sorrow.     You  will  not  cover  your  lips'  with  your  mantle,  nor 

*  2  Sam.  iii.  35.     Dent.  xxvi.  14.    Hos.  is.  4.     Jer.  xvi.  7. 

2  Ezek.  xliv.  18.     Exod.  xxxix.  28. 

3  Ezek.  xxiv.  21-24. 

*  Mic.  iii.  11.     Jer.  vii.  26.    Ezek.  xiv.  21. 

*  Lit.,  "beard." 


56  THE    EVE    OP   THE    SIEGE    OP   JEEUSALEM. 

eat  the  bread  of  mourning.  23  Your  turbans  will  be  on  your 
heads,  and  your  sandals  on  your  feet,  as  at  other  times ;  you  will 
make  no  loud  lamentation  nor  weep,  but  you  will  be  overpowered 
by  such  a  penalty  for  your  sins,  and  shall  moan  to  each  other  in 
speechless  grief.  24.  Thus,  Ezekiel  is  a  sign  to  you,  in  his  present 
action.  You  yourselves  will  do,  in  that  day,  as  he  is  doing  now, 
and  when  this  happens  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord 
Jehovah ! 

The  fall  of  Jerusalem  had  been  the  great  event  to 
which  all  Ezekie?s  predictions  had  pointed_,  and  vsrould 
be  a  complete  vindication  of  his  high  commission  as  a 
true  prophet.  His  opponents  would  be  silenced,  and  no 
further  hindrance  on  their  part,  to  his  free  speech,  would 
be  possible.  The  news  brought  by  one  who  had  escaped 
from  the  final  slaughter  of  the  storming  would  be  the 
overthrow  of  those  opposed  to  him,  and  would  establish 
his  prophetic  authority. 

25  Yerily,  O  son  of  man,*  on  that  day  when  I  take  from  them 
the  temple,  which  was  their  confidence,  their  supreme  boast,  the 
desire  of  their  eyes  and  the  delight  of  their  souls — when  I  take 
from  them,  also,  their  sons  and  their  daughters — 26  in  that  day 
will  one  that  has  escaped,  come  to  thee,  to  tell  the  awful  tidings 
in  thine  ears.  27  Then,  in  that  day,  thy  mouth,  so  long  sealed, 
will  be  opened  like  that  of  the  fugitive,  and  thou  shalt  speak  as  a 
prophet  to  the  people,  and  no  more  be  forced  to  keep  silence, 
and  thou  wilt  be  seen  to  have  been  a  sign  to  them ;  and  they 
shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah  ! 

1  Ezek.  xxiv.  25-27. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE    INVESTMENT   OP   JERUSALEM. 


WITH  the  twenty-fourtli  chapter  of  Ezekiel  our  in- 
formation respecting  the  Hebrew  captives  on  the 
Chebar  ceases  for  a  time_,  and  we  have  to  return  to 
Jerusalem,  now  closely  invested  by  the  army  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, drawn  from  many  subject  nations.  It  would 
seem,  indeed,  that  contingents  had  been  furnished,  at 
least  before  the  close  of  the  siege,  by  Ammon,  Moab, 
Edom  and  the  Philistines,  while  the  Phenicians,  if  they 
did  not  actively  aid  the  Chaldeans,  were  bitterly  hostile 
to  Judah  in  feeling.^  So  little  had  come  of  the  projected 
league  of  all  Palestine  against  Nebuchadnezzar.  His  ap- 
proach had  dissolved  it,  and  let  loose  all  the  deep-seated 
hatred  towards  the  Hebrews,  which  had  for  a  time  been 
dissembled. 

The  investment  of  Jerusalem  began  in  the  early  months 
of  the  ninth  year  of  Zedekiah — about  December,  B.C. 
591.  As  in  similar  cases,  the  population  had  been 
greatly  increased  by  fugitives  from  the  country  round ; 
but  large  supplies  of  provisions  had  been  laid  in,  and 
the  citizens  trusted  that  Pharaoh  Hophra,  who  had  just 

^  Ezek.  XXV.  and  xxvi. 

57 


58  THE    INVESTMENT    OP   JERUSALEM. 

ascended  the  throne  of  Egypt,^  would  speedily  raise  the 
siege  by  an  army  sent  to  their  relief. 

The  new  Pharaoh  was^  indeed,  a  man  from  whom 
much  might  be  hoped.  Fond  of  war  and  impatient  of 
a  quiet  life,  he  was  a  great  patron  of  the  mercenary 
Greek  soldiers  who,  under  captains  of  their  own  race, 
hired  themselves,  like  the  free  lances  of  the  Middle  Ages, 
to  any  prince  willing  to  engage  them.  Hophra  made 
Egypt  more  than  ever  their  richest  harvest-ground,  and 
their  bands  formed  the  strength  of  his  army.  His  father's 
successful  campaign  against  Nubia  showed  that,  since  the 
great  disaster  of  Carchemish,  the  country  had  regained 
its  military  spirit.  Yielding  to  his  personal  ambition 
and  the  counsels  of  his  mercenaries,  he  resolved  to  re- 
turn to  the  policy  of  Necho  II.,  and  once  more  attempt 
the  conquest  of  Syria,  now  held  by  the  Babylonians. 
The  times  seemed  propitious.  Wearied,  as  we  have 
seen,  of  the  vassalage  to  the  Chaldeans,  all  Palestine 
was  ready  to  rise.  In  Jerusalem,  especially,  a  strong 
party  had  forced  Zedekiah  into  an  Egyptian  alliance. 
Trusting  to  Hophra,  all  the  land  was  in  revolt,  a  few 
months  after  his  accession.  But  Nebuchadnezzar,  with 
the  swift  decision  that  marked  him,  hastened  from  the 
Euphrates,  by  forced  marches,  on  the  first  report  of  the 
rebellion ;  uncertain  which  of  the  petty  kingdoms  to 
attack  first.  To  use  the  language  of  Ezekiel,  the  Great 
King  stopped  his  chariot  at  the  point  where  the  two 
roads,  to  Ammon  and  Jerusalem,  branched  off,  and  only 
decided  on  taking  the  latter  after  consulting  his  oracles.^ 
Jerusalem  was  the  soul  of  the  coalition  against  him.  Its 
territory  united  the  confederates  of  the  coast  to  those  of 
the  east  of  Jordan  and  of  the  desert,  and  formed  a  link 

1  Lenormant  says  in  B.C.  589.     Brugsch,  in  B.C.  591. 

2  Ezek.  xxi.  21. 


THE    INVESTMENT    OF   JERUSALEM.  59 

between  Egypt  and  southern  Syria.  One  Chaldean  army 
was  sent,  therefore,  to  ravage  Phenicia  and  commence 
the  blockade  of  Tyre,  while  Nebuchadnezzar  himself 
turned,  with  the  bulk  of  his  troops,  against  Jerusalem. 
Not  daring  to  oppose  such  a  force  in  the  open  field, 
Zedekiah  forthwith  shut  himself  up  in  his  capital,  and 
the  siege  began.  Judah  had  been  spared  twice  before, 
but  the  Chaldean  was  now  resolved  to  destroy  it.  That 
its  king,  whom  he  had  raised  to  the  throne,  should  have 
perjured  himself,  after  having  sworn  by  his  own  God, 
and  that  his  people,  though  weakened  by  the  exile  of 
the  leading  spirits  of  the  kingdom,  should  have  proved 
so  resolutely  troublesome,  determined  Nebuchadnezzar 
to  use  the  harshest  measures.  He  therefore  desolated  the 
country  at  his  leisure,  delivering  his  captives  to  the  cruel 
mercies  of  the  Philistines  and  Edomites,  and  appeared, 
at  last,  on  the  north  plateau  of  Jerusalem,  only  after  he 
had  laid  waste  the  whole  land  with  fire  and  sword.  ^ 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  credit  of  Jeremiah  as 
a  true  prophet  necessarily  increased,  till  even  the  vacil- 
lating Zedekiah, — breaking  loose  for  a  moment  from  his 
counsellors,-  and  imitating  the  example  of  Hezekiah, 
who  consulted  Isaiah,  the  great  prophet  of  that  day,  in  a 
time  of  similar  peril,^ — deigned  to  send  two  of  his  oflficials, 
Pashur  and  Zephaniah,  priests  of  high  rank/  but  of 
the  Egyptian  faction,  and  thus  opposed  to  Jeremiah  in 
politics,*  humbly  ''  to  enquire  of  Jehovah,''  through  him, 

^  Ijenormant,  Hist.  Ancienne  de  V Orient, -p.  4<92.   Masvero,  p.  bOO. 

'  Jer.  xxi.  1, 2.  ^  2  Kings  xix.  2. 

*  1  Cliron.  xxiv.  9.  Malchiah,  the  father  of  this  Pashur,  was 
head  of  the  fifth  course  ;  Zephaniah  was  the  deputy  high  priest. 
He  is  often  mentioned,  and  was  at  last  slain  by  Nebuchadnezzar 
at  Riblah.  See  Jer.  xxix.  25  ;  xxxvii.  3;  hi.  24.  Another  Pashur 
is  mentioned  in  Jer.  xx.  1.  *  Jer.  xxxviii.  1,  4. 


60  THE    INVESTMENT    OP   JERUSALEM. 

respecting  the  future.^  The  envoys  found  the  seer  in 
the  temple ;  but  his  answer  to  them  was  dispiriting  in 
the  extreme.  The  king  should  hear  the  truth,  however 
painful.  Shut  up  in  the  city,  without  the  possibility  of 
escape,  how  few  men  would  have  taken  their  lives  in  their 
hands,  by  braving  the  anger  of  a  despot  and  his  court, 
through  whom  he  had  already  suffered  much.  But  Jere- 
miah knew  no  fear  when  he  had  to  speak  for  God. 

To  the  question  whether  the  king  of  Babylon  would  be 
driven  away  from  Jerusalem  by  a  miracle,  like  that  by 
which  the  city  had  been  saved  from  Sennacherib,  in  the 
reign  of  Hezekiah,  he  forthwith  replied, — 

4  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,^  Behold,  instead  of 
turning  back  the  weapons  of  war  in  the  hands  of  the  Chaldeans,  I 
will  turn  back  those  in  your  own  hands,  with  which  you  fight  on 
the  walls  against  the  king  of  Babylon  and  the  Chaldeans,  who 
besiege  you  outside,  and  will  cause  you  to  assemble  with  them, 
for  a  last  struggle,  in  the  very  heart  of  this  city.  5  I,  Myself,  also 
will  fight  agaicst  you,  with  an  outstretched  hand  and  a  strong 
arm,  with  anger,  and  fury,  and  fierce  wrath.  6  And  I  will  smite 
the  inhabitants  of  this  city,  man  and  beast ;  they  shall  die  by  a 
sore  pestilence.  7  And  afterwards,  says  Jehovah,  I  will  deliver 
Zedekiah,  the  king  of  Judah,  and  his  servants,  the  court,  and  the 
people  left  in  this  city  from  the  pestilence  the  sword  and  the 
famine,  into  the  hand  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  and 
into  the  hand  of  their  enemies,  and  of  them  that  seek  their  life, 
and  he  will  slay  them  with  the  edge  of  the  sword :  he  shall  not 
spare  them,  nor  have  pity  or  mercy. 

He  then  proceeded  to  point  out  to  the  citizens  the  only 
means  of  safety. 

8  As  to  the  people,  say  to  them,^  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  See,  I  set 
before  you  the  way  of  life  and  the  way  of  death.^    9  He  that  stays 

1  Jer.  xxi.  1, 2.  See  the  parallel  cases  of  Hezekiah  and  Josiah, 
2  Kings  xxii.  13. 

2  Jer.  xxi.  3-7.  »  Jer.  xxi.  8-10.  *  Deut.  xxx.  19. 


THE    INVESTMENT    OP   JERUSALEM.  61 

in  this  city  shall  die  by  the  sword,  the  famine,  and  the  pestilence. 
But  he  that  goes  out  and  gives  himself  up  to  the  Chaldeans  that 
besiege  you,  he  shall  live ;  his  soul  shall  be  his  share  of  the  booty, 
to  carry  off.  lo  For  I  have  set  My  face  against  this  city,  for  evil 
and  not  for  good,  says  Jehovah ;  it  shall  be  given  into  the  hand  of 
the  king  of  Babylon,  and  he  shall  burn  it  with  fire. 

Then  followed  a  warning  to  the  royal  family. 

II  And  as  to  the  House  of  the  king  of  Judah,*  hear  the  word  of 
Jehovah :  12  O  House  of  David — king  and  royal  family  together — 
thus  saith  Jehovah,  Do  your  duty  as  your  forefathers  did,"  by 
sitting  in  the  gate  of  the  city  every  morning,  to  do  justice,  as  the 
judges  of  the  people,  and  to  snatch  the  man  that  is  being  plundered 
from  the  hand  of  his  oppressor;  that  My  fury  may  not  burst  out 
against  you  like  fire,  and  burn  unquenchably,  because  of  the  evil 
of  your  doings  ! 

Jerusalem,  as  a  whole,  has  roused  the  anger  of  God. 

13  Behold,  I  am  against  thee,^  O  Jerusalem,  inhabitress  of  the 
valley  beneath  the  temple,  and  of  the  table-land  rock  •*  beyond,^ 
saith  Jehovah — who  says  to  herself — "  who  shall  come  down  from 
the  neighbouring  heights  against  us  ?  Who  shall  enter  our  secure 
retreats  ?  "  14  But  I  will  punish  you  according  to  the  fruit  of  your 
doings,  saith  Jehovah ;  and  I  will  kindle  a  fire  in  the  forest-like 
dwellings  of  your  city,  and  it  will  devour  everything  round  it.^ 

1  Jer.  xxi.  11, 12.         2  2  Sam.  xv.  2-4         ^  jer.  xxi.  13, 14. 

"*  Lit.,  "the  rock  of  the  Mishor."  Mishor  is  the  name  for  the 
smooth  upland  downs  of  Moab  (Deut  iii.  10 ;  Josh.  xiii.  17 ;  xx.  8 ; 
Jer.  xlviii.  8,  21).  Derived  from  the  root  yasliar,  "  even,  level, 
plain,"  it  naturally  came  to  be  used  figuratively  for  equity,  right, 
righteous,  and  uprightness  (Mai.  ii.  6  ;  Isa.  xi.  4;  Ps.  xlv.  7;  Ixvii. 
5;  cxliii.  10),  and  thus  the  name  was  equivalent  to  "the  rock  of 
justice,  righteousness,  or  equity  " — a  name  in  which  the  people 
prided  themselves. 

*  Zion  and  the  rest  of  the  city  is  beneath  surrounding  hills,  and 
is  called  table-land, 

^  The  word  used  for  "  forest  "  is  yaar  (see  vol.  iv.  p.  858).  Por- 
tions of  this  are  even  now  constantly  set  on  fire  by  the  charcoal 
burners,  who  thus  often  burn  down  a  whole  hillside.    Neil,  p.  206. 


62  THE    INVESTMENT   OP   JEEUSALEM. 

Then  followed  a  final  command  to  take  a  message  to 
the  king  personally. 

I  Thus  saith  Jehovah,^  Go  down  from  this  temple  hill  to  the 
palace  of  the  king  of  Judah,  and  speak  this  word  there,  2  and  say, 
Hear  the  word  of  Jehovah,  0  king  of  Judah,  that  sittest  on  the 
throne  of  David — thou,  and  thy  servants,  and  thy  people  that 
enter  into  this  temple  by  these  gates  :  3  Thus  saith  Jehovah, 
Execute  justice  and  righteousness,  as  supreme  judge  of  the  state, 
and  snatch  the  man  that  is  being  plundered  from  the  hand  of  the 
oppressor ;  and  do  not  yourself  oppress  or  do  violence  to  the 
stranger,^he  fatherless,  or  the  widow,  or  shed  innocent  blood  in 
this  place !  4  For  if  you  really  act  thus,  kings  sitting  on  the 
throne  of  David,  riding  in  chariots  and  on  horses,  shall  pass 
through  the  gates  of  the  palace — they  and  their  servants  and 
their  people.  5  But  if  you  will  not  hear  these  words,  I  swear  by 
Myself,  says  Jehovah,  that  this  house,  the  temple,  shall  become 
a  desolation ! 

6  For  thus  saith  Jehovah,^  to  the  House  of  the  king  of  Judah  : 
Thy  lofty  cedar  palaces,  crowning  Mount  Ziou — though  fair  and 
proud  as  the  trees  on  the  hills  of  Gilead,  or  on  the  top  of  Lebanon 
— will  be  made  a  desolation,  like  cities  that  are  depopulated  and 
deserted.  7  I  will  set  apart  destroyers  against  thee,  every  one 
with  his  weapon,  and  they  will  cut  down  thy  best  cedars,  and 
throw  them  on  the  fire.  8  And  many  peoples  will  pass  by  this 
city,  and  say  each  to  the  other,  "  Why  has  Jehovah  done  thus  to 
this  great  city? ''  9  And  they  will  answer,  "  Because  they  forsook 
the  covenant  of  Jehovah,  their  God,  and  worshipped  and  served 
foreign  gods  ! " 

The  sins  of  the  kings  had  been  too  surely  one  of  the 
causes  of  the  ruin  of  his  country  to  permit  Jeremiah 
to  spare  the  throne  in  his  preaching.  Yet  the  glorious 
anticipation  of  the  advent  of  a  true  Messianic  king 
lighted  up  the  future;  and  while  he  felt  compelled  sternly 
to  denounce  the  rulers  of  his  own  and  of   past  days,  he 

1  Jer.  xxii.  1-5. 

2  Jer.  xxii.  6-9.  The  rest  of  the  chapter  is  given  at  vol.  iv.  pp. 
380-2.     It  is  apparently  of  an  earlier  date  than  these  verses. 


THE    INVESTMENT    OP   JERUSALEM.  63 

was  too  true  a  patriot,  and  too  zealous  for  the  final  tri- 
umph of  the  kingdom  of  God,  to  keep  back  this  cheering 
prospect. 

I  Woe  to  the  shepherds^ — cried  he  about  this  time— who 
destroy  and  scatter  the  sheep  of  My  pasture !  saith  Jehovah.  2 
Therefore,  thus  saith  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  respecting  the 
shepherds  that  feed  My  people :  Ye  have  scattered  and  driven 
away  My  flock,  leading  them  into  idolatry,  and  bringing  exile 
upon  them,  and  have  not  visited  them  for  good,  or  cared  for 
them.  Behold,  I  will  visit  on  you  the  evil  of  your  doings,  saith 
Jehovah.  3  But  I  will  gather  the  remnant  of  My  flock  out  of  all 
countries,  whither  I  have  driven  them,  and  bring  them  back  again 
to  their  pastures,  and  they  shall  be  fruitful  and  increase.  4  And 
I  will  set  up  shepherds  over  them  who  shall  feed  them,  and 
they  shall  fear  no  more,  nor  be  dismayed,  nor  be  lost,  saith 
Jehovah ! 

A  singularly  distinct  prophecy  of  the  Messiah  follows. 

5  Behold  the  days  come,^  saith  Jehovah,  that  I  will  raise  unto 
David  a  righteous  Branch,  who  will  rule  as  King,  and  act  wisely, 
and  execute  justice  and  righteousness  in  the  land.  6  In  His  days 
Judah  shall  be  saved,  and  Israel  dwell  in  security,  and  this  is  the 
name  by  which  He  shall  be  called — "  Jehovah  our  Righteousness."' 
7  Therefore,  behold,  the  days  come,  saith  Jehovah,  that  they 
shall  no  more  say,  **By  the  life  of  Jehovah,  who  brought  up  the 

*  Kings.     Jer.  xxiii.  1-4.  2  jer.  xxiii.  5-8. 

'  Bishop  Thirlwall  proposes  that  this  be  read,  "  Jehovah  is  our 
Righteousness."  from  the  analogy  of  Jehovah  Shammah  =  Jeho- 
vah is  there  (Ezek.  xlviii.  35.  See  ThirhvalVs  Bemains,  vol.  iii. 
p.  471).  It  would  then  imply  that  in  the  times  of  the  Messiah, 
Jehovah  would  be  the  righteousness  of  Jerusalem,  bestowing 
righteousness  and  all  its  blessings  on  her  people.  Keil,  De  Wette, 
Naegelsbach,  pronounce  for  the  name  as  in  the  A.  V.  Ewald, 
Arnheim,  Streane,  Hitzig,  for  the  other  rendering.  The  Jews  un- 
derstand the  name  as  referring  to  the  Messiah.  Barclaifs  Talmud, 
p.  38.  To  my  own  mind  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  A.V.  is  right, 
since  the  Messiah,  not  Jehovah  in  His  invisible  personality,  is  the 
great  theme  of  prophetic  hope. 


64  THE    INVESTMENT   OF  JERUSALEM. 

sons  of  Israel  from  Egypt/'  8  but  "  By  the  life  of  Jehovah,  who 
brought  up  and  led  the  seed  of  the  House  of  Israel  from  the  land 
of  the  North,  and  from  all  lands  whither  I  have  driven  them,"  and 
they  shall  dwell  in  their  own  land. 

Next  to  the  false  kings^  the  false  prophets  had  been 
the  main  cause  of  the  ruin  of  the  country.  These,  there- 
fore,  Jeremiah  fitly  passes  on  to  denounce. 

9  My  heart  within  me  is  broken,^  all  my  bones  shake  ^  for 
terror;  I  am  like  one  drunk,  like  a  man  overpowered  by  wine, 
before  Jehovah  and  His  holy  words.  lo  For  the  land  is  full  of 
adulterers ;  yea,  the  land  withers  under  a  curse ;  the  pastures  of 
the  wilderness  dry  up,  for  the  conduct^  of  the  people  is  evil; 
they  are  strong,  not  to  do  right,  but  to  do  wrong !  1 1  For  both 
prophet  and  priest  are  unholy.  Even  in  My  own  house,  the 
temple,  have  I  found  their  wickedness,  saith  Jehovah.^  I2  There- 
fore, their  way  will  be  slippery  to  them  in  the  darkness  ^  that  is 
coming ;  they  shall  be  driven  on  and  fall  in  it.  For  I  will  bring 
evil  upon  them,  the  year  of  their  punishment,  says  Jehovah. 
13  I  saw  folly  ^  among  the  prophets  of  Samaria;  they  prophesied 
in  the  name  of  Baal,  and  led  My  people  Israel  astray.  14  But 
I  have  seen  among  the  prophets  of  Jerusalem  a  horrible  thing ; 
they  commit  adultery,''  and  walk  in  lies,  and  strengthen  the 
hands  of  evil  doers,  so  that  no  one  turns  from  his  evil  way ;  all 
the  people  of  Jerusalem  are  become  to  Me  as  Sodom,  all  its 
inhabitants  like  those  of  Gomorrah  ! 

1  Jar.  xxiii.  9-14.  2  lj^.,  "  are  loose,  or  weak." 

*  Course. 

**  Since  prophets  are  mentioned  along  with  priests  as  being  in 
the  temple,  Dr.  R.  Smith  assumes  that  "  the  official  prophets  were 
part  of  the  establishment  of  the  temple,"  and  because  Jeremiah 
was  put  in  the  stocks,  he  adds,  "  they  were  subject  to  priestly 
discipline."  Yet  not  only  prophets,  but  people  frequented  the 
temple,  and  punishments  were  not  restricted  to  any  class.  An 
offender  of  any  kind  was  exposed  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
temple  police.     See  Bihle  in  the  Jewish  Church,  p.  286. 

^  Land  and  Booh,  p.  78. 

*  The  word  means  "  tasteless,  unsalted,"  hence  "  irrational." 
'  Idolatry. 


THE    INVESTMENT    OP   JERUSALEM.  65 

15  Therefore,  thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts  ^  concerning  the  pro- 
phets :  Behold,  I  will  feed  them  with  wormwood  and  give  them 
poison-water  to  drink,-  for,  from  the  prophets  of  Jerusalem, 
pollution  has  gone  out  through  the  whole  land.  16  Thus  saith 
Jehovah  of  Hosts :  Do  not  listen  to  the  words  of  the  prophets 
who  prophesy  to  you.  They  deceive  you  ;  they  speak  a  vision  of 
their  own  inventing  ;  ^  not  out  of  the  mouth  of  Jehovah.  17  They 
say  continually  to  them  that  despise  Me :  "  Jehovah  has  said,  Ye 
shall  have  peace,"  and  to  every  one  who  walks  in  the  imagina- 
tion of  his  own  heart  they  say :  '*  ISTo  evil  shall  come  upon  you." 
18  But  who  of  them  has  stood  in  the  counsel  of  Jehovah,  to  see 
and  hear  His  Word  ?  Who  of  them  has  marked  and  heard  My 
Word? 

19  Behold  a  whirlwind  of  Jehovah,^  a  storm  of  wrath,  is  gone 
forth,  a  rolling  hurricane;  it  shall  whirl  round  the  head  of  the 
wicked.  20  The  wrath  of  Jehovah  will  not  turn  back  till  He  has 
carried  out  and  performed  the  thoughts  of  His  heart.  At  the 
end  of  the  days  ye  will  understand  it  perfectly.  2 1  I  have  not 
sent  their  prophets,  yet  they  ran  ;  I  have  not  spoken  to  them,  yet 
they  prophesied  !  22  But  if  they  had  stood  in  My  counsel,  they 
would  make  known  to  the  people  My  words,  and  bring  them  from 
their  evil  way,  and  from  the  evil  of  their  doings. 

The  impossibility  of  false  prophets  escaping  detection 
and  punishment  is  evident. 

23  Am  I  a  God  only  over  what  is  near  at  hand,^  saith  Jehovah, 
and  not,  also,  a  God  who  sees  and  reigns  afar  off  .P  24  Can  any 
one  hide  himself  in  secret  places,  so  that  I  shall  not  see  him  ? 
saith  Jehovah.  Do  I  nob  fill  heaven  and  earth  .P  says  Jehovah. 
25  I  have  heard  what  the  prophets  say,  who  prophesy  lies  in  My 
name,  saying,  "  I  have  dreamed,  I  have  dreamed."  26  How  long 
will  it  be  in  the  hearts  of  the  prophets  to  prophesy  lies,  and  to  be 
prophets  of  falsehood  of  their  own  invention  ?  ^  27  They  think 
they  will  make  My  people  forget  My  name,  through  their  dream s,^ 

1  Jer.  xxiii.  15-18. 

2  See  vol.  V.  pp.  205,  208.     See  also  Jer.  chap.  viii.  14. 

3  Lit.,  "heart."  ^  Jer.  xxiii.  19-22. 
5  Jer.  xxiii.  23-29.  e  Heart. 

7  There    were    true    prophetic   dreams,    sent    from    Jehovah. 
VOL.    VI.  F 


66  THE    INVESTMENT    OP   JERUSALEM. 

which  they  tell  each  to  the  other,  as  their  fathers  forgot  My  name 
for  Baal.  28  Let  the  prophet  who  really  has  a  dream  from  Me, 
tell  it ;  let  him  who  has  received  a  word  from  Me,  speak  it  faith- 
fully. These  dreams  of  the  false  prophets  are  as  different  from 
true  revelations  from  Me  as  straw  is  from  corn,  saith  Jehovah  ! 
29  Is  not  My  word  like  a  fire  that  consumes  all  such  deceptions, 
and  like  a  hammer  that  breaks  in  pieces  all  who  utter  them  ?  ' 

30  Therefore,  I  am  even  now  coming  down^  in  wrath  upon  the 
prophets,  saith  Jehovah,  that  steal  My  word  one  from  the  other. 
31  Behold,  I  am  even  now  coming  down  in  wrath  on  the  prophets, 
saith  Jehovah,  who  use  their  tongues,  and,  without  authority 
from  Me,  repeat  the  phrase  of  true  prophets.^  32  Thus  saith 
Jehovah  :  Behold  I  am  even  now  coming  down  in  wrath  on  them 
that  prophesy  lying  dreams,  saith  Jehovah,  and  repeat  them,  and 
lead  astray  My  people  by  their  lies  and  by  their  boasting  of  com- 
munications from  Me.  Yet  I  did  not  send  or  commission  them, 
and  they  are  no  good  whatever  to  this  people,  saith  Jehovah. 

;^^  And  if  this  people,  or  one  of  these  false  prophets,  or  base 
priests,  ask  you  :  "  What  burden^  have  you  received  from  Jehovah 


Num.  xii.  6.  1  Sam.  xxviii.  6.  1  Kings  iii.  5.  Job  iv.  13;  vii. 
14;  xxxiii.  15.  Joel  ii.  28.  The  dreams  meant  here,  are  pre- 
tended dreams,  published  as  sent  from  Jehovah  or  from  idols,  and 
interpreted  by  heathen  methods.  In  this  case  the  pretending 
dreamer  and  interpreter  were  to  be  stoned.  Deut.  xiii.  2-12.  See 
Lenormant,  La  Divination,  p.  147. 

^  Eichhorn.  "  Let  the  prophet  who  has  a  dream  tell  it  as  a  dream; 
and  let  him  who  has  My  word  repeat  it  exactly.  What  has  straw 
to  do  among  corn  ?  says  Jehovah.  Does  not  My  word  burn  like 
fire  ?  Does  it  not  break  in  pieces  the  heart  as  the  iron  hammer 
does  the  rocks  ?  " 

2  Jer.  xxiii.  30-40. 

3  It  is  striking  to  notice  how  the  bitter  divisions  of  the  day 
united  the  most  opposite  parties  against  the  old  national  faith. 
The  aristocracy  found  themselves  supported  in  their  heathen 
and  Egyptian  bias  by  the  bulk  of  the  priests  and  even  of  the 
prophets,  who  as  an  order  were  the  natural  antagonists  of  the 
moribund  priesthood. 

*  The  Hebrew  word  is  Massa.  For  its  meaning,  see  vol.  v. 
p.  429,  also  Neil,  p.  25. 


THE    INVESTMENT    OP   JERUSALEM.  67 

to-day?  "  say  to  them:  "What  burden  have  I  received  to-day?  " 
This:  "I  will  cast  you  off  (as  an  intolerable  burden),"  says 
Jehovah !  ^  34  And  the  prophet,  the  priest,  and  the  people  who 
talk  lightly  of  "The  burden  of  Jehovah,"  I  will  punish  that  man 
and  his  house.  35  Ye  shall  speak  thus,  each,  to  liis  neighbour, 
and  each  to  his  brother:  "What  has  Jehovah  answered?  and 
what  has  Jehovah  said  ?  "  36  But  ye  shall  no  more  use  the 
phrase,  "Burden  of  Jehovah,"  for  it  shall  itself  be  a  burden  of 
guilt  to  every  man  who  uses  it,  for  ye  misuse  and  pervert  the 
words  of  the  living  God,  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  our  God,  of  which 
this  phrase  is  one.  37  You  shall  say  also  to  the  prophet,  "What 
has  Jehovah  answered  thee?  and  what  has  Jehovah  said?" 
38  But  if  you  speak  of  "The  burden  of  Jehovah,"  thus  saith 
Jehovah:  Because  you  use  this  phrase,  "The  burden  of  Jehovah," 
in  ridicule  of  His  true  prophets,  and  I  have  sent  to  you,  saying, 
"You  shall  not  say,  '  The  burden  of  Jehovah,' "  39  I,  even  I,  will 
take  you  up  as  My  burden,  and  cast  both  you  and  the  city  which 
I  gave  to  you  and  your  fathers,  far  from  My  sight,  40  and  bring 
everlasting  shame  on  you,  and  perpetual  undying  contempt. 

The  message  sent  to  the  king  closes  v^^ith  a  parabolic 
vision,  like  that  seen  by  the  prophet  Amos.-  The  date 
at  which  it  was  first  spoken  is  stated  to  have  been  some 
time  after  Nebuchadnezzar  had  carried  off  King  Jehoia- 
chin  and  the  chief  men  of  the  nation,  with  the  carpenters, 
smiths  and  other  artisans  of  Jerusalem,  as  prisoners,  to 
Babylon.  The  population  left  in  the  city  fancied  they 
had  been  spared  as  better  than  those  so  heavily  punished  ; 
but  Jeremiah  tells  them  that  the  very  reverse  was  the 
fact.  He  saw  in  spirit,  two  baskets  of  figs  set  before  the 
temple  ;  ^  one  specially  good,  like  the  delicate  June  fruit 
which  anticipated    the   harvest    in  August ;  ^  the    other 

^  Or,  "Ye  are  the  burden,  saith  Jehovah."  This  reading  is 
obtained  from  another  division  of  the  words  in  the  Hebrew,  with' 
out  any  change  of  letters. 

-  Amos  viii.  1-3.  ^  jer.  xxiv.  1-3. 

*  Isa.  xxviii.  4.     Hos.  ix.  10.     Mic.  vii.  1.     Nah.  iii.  12. 


68  THE    INVESTMENT   OP   JEEUSALEM. 

SO  bad  as  to  be  uneatable  ^ — and  he  recognised  in  tlie  two 
a  striking  picture  of  the  true  condition  of  the  kingdom. 
On  the  one  side,  the  young  king,  full  of  promise,  had 
been  led  off  into  captivity  with  the  noblest,  bravest, 
and  most  useful  men  of  the  city.  The  hope  of  the 
future  rested  on  these.  On  the  other  hand,  there  was 
the  weak  vassal-king  Zedekiah,  with  the  feeble  and  cor- 
rupt remnant  of  the  population  left  behind ;  untaught 
by  the  terrible  lesson  of  the  fall  of  their  brethren,  and 
unteachable.  Some  of  the  choicest  spirits  of  the  nation 
were  now  on  the  banks  of  the  Chebar — such  as  Daniel, 
his  three  companions,  and  the  prophet  Ezekiel — and  they 
would  kindle  a  better  life  in  their  fellow-captives.  But 
in  Jerusalem  there  was  no  such  prospect  of  spiritual 
revival.  The  word  of  Jehovah,  that  accompanied  the 
vision,  ran  as  follows  : — 

5  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  ^  the  God  of  Israel :  As  one  looks  with 
pleasure  on  good  fruit,  and  guards  and  preserves  it,  so  will  I  look 
for  their  good  upon  the  captives  of  Judah,  whom  I  have  sent 
away  from  this  place  to  the  land  of  the  Chaldeans.  6  For  I  will 
set  My  eye  on  them  for  their  good,  and  will  bring  them  back 
again  to  this  land,  and  I  will  build  them  up  and  not  destroy 
them ;  I  will  plant  them  and  not  pluok  them  up.  7  And  I  will 
give  them  a  heart  to  know  Me,  that  I  am  Jehovah;  and  they 
shall  be  My  people,  and  I  will  be  their  God,  for  they  will  return 
to  Me  with  their  whole  heart. 

8  And  ^  as  men  throw  away  bad,  uneatable  figs,  verily,  so,  says 
Jehovah,  will  I  treat  Zedekiah,  the  king  of  Judah,  and  his  princes, 
and  the  remnant  of  Jerusalem,  and  those  that  remain  in  this  land, 
and  also  those  dwelling  in  the  land  of  Egypt.  9  I  will  make  them 
an  object  of  shuddering  pity,  and  give  them  up  to  calamity  in 
all  kingdoms  of  the  earth ;  and  will  make  them  a  contempt,  a 

^  The  bad  figs  may  have  been  those  of  the  sycamore,  which 
contain  a  bitter  juice,  or  they  may  have  been  decayed  or  rotten, 
Tristram,  Nat.  Hist,  of  Bible,  p.  399. 

2  Jer.  xxiv.  4-7.  ^  Jer.  xxiv.  8-10. 


THE    INVESTMENT    OP   JERUSALEM.  69 

byword,  a  mockery  and  the  butt  of  cursing,  in  all  places  whither 
I  drive  them.  lo  And  I  will  send  the  sword,  the  famine,  and  the 
pestilence  upon  them,  till  they  are  wholly  consumed  from  off  the 
land  that  I  gave  to  them  and  to  their  fathers. 

The  moral  corruption  and  social  anarcby  of  Jerusalem 
must  have  been  extreme,  to  call  forth  such  denunciations 
from  one  of  its  own  citizens ;  a  man  not  censorious  or 
cynical,  but  full  of  tender  loyalty  to  his  fellow-country- 
men. But  amidst  all  this  evil  there  were  still  some  of 
*'  the  poor  "  and  "  meek  '*  of  the  land,  who  clung  to  the 
religion  of  their  fathers,  and  yearned  for  the  revival  of 
faith  in  Jehovah  and  obedience  to  His  law.  With  them, 
among  the  remnant  in  Judah,  lay  the  future  of  the 
Church  of  God.  They  were  the  true  Israel,  and,  as  such, 
Jehovah  was  mindful  of  His  covenant  with  their  fathers. 
To  sustain  them  amidst  the  gloom,  around  and  before 
them,  an  assurance  of  the  certain  realization  of  the  Divine 
promises  was  only  what  might  be  expected  from  the 
gracious  God  whom  they  so  faithfully  served.  Jeremiah, 
as  the  centre  of  this  feeble  evangelical  brotherhood,  felt 
his  warmest  sympathies  drawn  out  towards  them,  and 
gladly  turned  aside  from  his  terrible  condemnations,  to 
announce  the  future  salvation  prepared  by  God  for 
His  true  people,  after  they  had  been  purified  by  exile. 
The  whole  chosen  race,  so  far  as  it  returned  to  its 
allegiance  to  Jehovah,  would,  one  day,  be  restored.  They 
would  come  back  to  their  own  land,  and  a  new  spiritual 
covenant,  written,  not  on  tables  of  stone,  but  on  their 
hearts,  would  be  made  with  them,  and  they  would  forget 
their  past  misery.  Jeremiah  was,  therefore,  commanded 
to  write  in  a  book  "  all  the  words  "  which  Jehovah  thus 
condescended  to  communicate  for  the  comfort  of  His 
hidden  ones ;  "  For,  lo,''  ^  He  said,  "  the  days  come  that 
^  Jer.  XXX.  1-3. 


70  THE    INVESTMENT    OF   JERUSALEM. 

I  will  bring  back  again  the  captivity  of  My  people 
Israel,  and  I  will  cause  them  to  return  to  the  land  that 
I  gave  to  their  fathers_,  and  they  shall  possess  it."" 

The  consolation  thus  graciously  vouchsafed,  is  thrown, 
in  its  introductory  sentences,  into  a  dramatic  form,^  for 
greater  effect.  A  future  generation  is  pictured  as 
hearing,  from  afar,  the  bitter  cry  of  the  exiles,  amidst 
the  judgments  on  the  heathen  around  them,  and  Jehovah 
is  introduced  as  ministering  words  of  cheer  to  them, 
by  a  promise  of  their  future  deliverance. 

5  {The  people)  We  hear  the  ory  of  terror  and  dismay,  and, 
as  yet,  there  is  no  deHverance !  (The  prophet)  6  Ask  and  see. 
A  man  cannot  bear  a  child ;  why  then  such  wails,  like  those  of  a 
woman  in  trouble?  Why  do  I  see  every  man  with  his  hands  on 
his  loins,  like  a  woman  in  her  pain,  and  all  faces  turned  pale? 
7  {Exiles)  Alas,  for  that  day  of  Jehovah,  often  predicted!  The 
day  of  His  judgments,  is  great ;  it  is  a  time  of  distress  to  Jacob. 
{Jehovah)     But  he  shall  be  saved  from  it. 

The  great  theme  of  the  discourse — the  deliverance  from 
exile — now  begins. 

8  In  that  day,  ^  says  Jehovah,  I  will  break  the  yoke  of  the  king 
of  Babylon  from  off  thy  neck,  0  Israel,  and  burst  asunder  thy 
bonds,  and  aliens  shall  no  longer  make  thee  their  servant.  9  But 
Israel  shall  be  the  servant  of  Jehovah,  his  God,  and  of  David,  his 
king,  whom  I  will  raise  up  to  him.^ 

10  Therefore,  fear  thou  not,  ^  0  My  servant  Jacob,  saith  Jehovah, 
and  be  not  dismayed,  0  Israel ;  for,  lo,  I  will  save  thee  from  the 

1  Jer.  XXX.  4-7.  ^  Jer.  xxx.  8, 9. 

^  The  Messiah  is  spoken  of  as  David  in  other  passages.  See 
Ezek.  xxxiv.  23 ;  xxxvii.  24.  Hos.  iii.  5.  From  this,  and  similar 
passages,  the  Kabbis  invented  a  doctrine  of  a  double  Messiah 
— temporal  and  spiritual.  Buxtorff,  Lex.,  p.  1273.  Oehler,  in 
nerzog,Yo\.  ix.  p.  440.  But  see  Hengstenberg's  ChristoL.  2te  Auf., 
p.  471. 

*  Jer.  xxx.  10-14. 


THE    INVESTMENT    OF   JERUSALEM.  71 

far  distant  land  of  thy  exile,  and  thy  children  from  the  land  of 
captivity,  and  Jacob  shall  return,  and  rest  in  peace,  no  one  dis- 
turbiniT  him.  1 1  For  I  am  with  thee,  says  Jehovah,  to  save  thee  ; 
for  I  shall  make  an  utter  end  of  the  nations  among  which  I  have 
scattered  thee,  but  I  will  not  make  a  full  end  of  thee ;  yet  I  will 
chastise  thee  according  to  justice,  for  I  cannot  leave  thee  un- 
punished. 12  For,  thus  saith  Jehovah,  thy  wound  is  past  healing  ; 
the  blow  that  has  struck  thee  is  desperate.  13  No  one  cares  for 
thy  state;  thou  hast  no  medicines  for  thy  so^'e,  to  press  it  to- 
getlier  or  bind  it,  or  any  plaster.  14  All  thy  lovers,  with  whom 
thou  sinnedst,  have  forgotten  thee;  they  do  not  ask  after  thee; 
for  I  have  struck  thee  down  with  the  blow  of  an  enemy,  with 
bitter  chastisement,  for  the  multitude  of  thy  transgressions — for 
thy  sins  were  many. 

Judah  and  Jerusalem  are  now  specially  addressed. 

15  Why  criest  thou  out  for  thy  sufferings?'  Because  thy 
punishment  is  terrible  ?  I  have  done  these  things  to  thee  for  the 
multitude  of  thy  transgressions,  for  thy  sins  were  matiy.  16  But, 
because  I  have  pity  upon  thee,  therefore  all  that  devour  thee  shall 
themselves  be  devoured;  all  thy  oppressors,  every  one  of  them, 
shall  go  into  captivity;  they  that  plundered  thee  shall  themselves 
be  spoiled,  and  all  who  have  robbed  thee  will  I  give  as  a  prey 
to  robbers.  17  And  I  will  lay  a  healing  plaster  on  thy  wound,  and 
heal  thee  of  the  blows  thou  hast  received,  saith  Jehovah,  because 
they  call  thee  an  "  Outcast," — "  Zion,  whom  no  man  asks  after." 

Jerusalem  shall  be  in  favour  with  God,  and  shall 
prosper. 

18  Thus  saith  Jehovah,^  Behold,  I  will  turn  again  the  captivity 
of  the  tents  of  Jacob,  and  have  mercy  on  his  dwelling-places,  and 
Jerusalem  shall  be  rebuilt  on  its  own  hill,^  and  the  palace  be 

1  Jer.  XXX.  15-17.  2  Jer.  xxx.  18-22. 

*  The  word  in  the  Heb.  for  "hill"  is  Ttl.  It  olteu  forms  part 
of  the  name  of  a  city,  us  in  Telassar,  Tliela>sar  (ii  Kings  xix.  12; 
Isa.  xxxvii.  12),  Tel  Haresha  =  Tel  Harsa,  and  Tel  Melah  (Ezra  ii. 
59 ;  Neh.  vii.  61),  Tel  Abib  (Ezek.  iii.  15).  Most  eastern  cities 
were  built  on  eminences,  to  protect  them  from  inundation  and 
against  the  foe. 


72  THE    INVESTMENT    OF   JERUSALEM. 

inhabited  by  a  king  in  royal  state.^  19  And  out  of  the  tents  of 
Jacob  and  the  chambers  of  the  city  shall  rise  thanksgiving,  and  the 
voice  of  them  that  rejoice,  and  I  will  multiply  them,  and  they 
shall  not  be  diminished,  and  I  will  bring  them  to  honour,  and  they 
shall  no  longer  be  lightly  regarded.  20  Their  sons  shall  flourish 
as  in  times  of  old,  and  their  community  ^  be  firmly  established, 
and  I  will  punish  all  that  would  oppress  them.  21  And  their  king 
will  come  forth  from  their  own  race,  their  ruler  from  the  midst  of 
themselves ;  they  will  no  more  serve  the  foreigner :  and  I  will 
bring  him  near  and  allow  him  freely  to  approach  Me,  even  in  the 
Holy  of  Holies,  to  plead  for  you — a  boldness  of  access  permitted 
to  no  one  else.^  For  who  is  he  who  would  risk  his  life  by  ap- 
proaching Me?  22  Thus  will  you  be  My  people,  and  I  will  be 
your  God. 

The  wicked,  however,  will  be  consumed  in  the  flames 
of  God's  wrath. 

23  Behold  there  comes  a  tempest  from  Jehovah,^  a  bursting 
forth  of  wrath ;  a  sweeping  hurricane  will  whirl  round  the  heads 
of  the  wicked.  24  The  fierce  indignation  of  Jehovah  will  not  turn 
aside  till  he  has  finished  and  carried  out  the  thought  of  His  heart. 
At  the  end  of  days  ye  will  understand  this ! 

This  storm  of  wrath  against  the  enemies  of  Israel  will 
at  once  prove  God  to  be  the  God  of  His  people,  and  will 
bring  about  the  deliverance  and  reassembling  of  all  its 
twelve  tribes  as  one  nation. 

1  At  the  same  time,  says  Jehovah,^  will  I  be  the  God  of  all  the 
twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  and  they  shall  be  My  people.  2  Thus  saith 
Jehovah,  The  remnant  of  the  nation  which  lias  escaped  from  the 
sword  has  found  grace  in  the  wilderness.     Israel  is  now  coming 

*  Lit.,  "  after  its  manner." 

2  Congregation. 

^  A  promise  of  the  greatness  and  glory  of  the  Messiah.  Not 
even  David  had  such  a  privilege.  None  but  the  high  priest,  and 
he  only  once  a  year,  could  enter  the  Holy  of  Holies;  but  the 
Messiah,  being  the  very  Son  of  God,  and  Himself  Divine,  had 
freedom  of  approach  to  the  Father  at  all  times. 

*  Jer.  XXX.  23, 24.  ^  Jar.  xxxi.  1-6. 


THE    INVESTMENT   OP   JERUSALEM.  73 

to  its  rest  !^  3  It  now  says  in  its  penitence,  "  Jehovah  appeared 
from  afar— from  Zion— unto  me."     Let  Me  therefore  tell  its  sons, 

I  have  indeed  loved  thee,  Israel,  with  an  everlasting  love,  there- 
fore have  I  continued  My  lovingkindness  to  thee.  4  I  will,  farther 
build  thee  up  again,  and  thou  sbalt  remain  prosperous,"  0  Virgin 
of  Israel.  Thou  shalt  again  ornament  thy  timbrels,^  and  go  forth 
in  the  dances  of  them  that  make  merry.  5  Thou  shalt  yet  plant 
vineyards  on  the  hills  of  Samaria,  and  they  that  plant  them  shall 
gather  their  fruit.  6  For  the  day  is  coming  when  the  watchmen 
on  the  mountains  of  Ephraim  shall  announce  the  new  moons  that 
proclaim  the  approach  of  the  great  yearly  feasts,  and  shall  call 
out—"  Up  !  let  us  go  up  to  Mount  Zion,  to  Jehovah,  our  God!  " 

7  For  thus  saith  Jehovah  i^  Sing  for  gladness  about  Jacob !  Sing 
songs  of  jubilee  about  her  that  was  the  chief  of  the  nations  !^ 
Sing  aloud,  and  cry  to  God,  "  Jehovah,  save  Thy  people !  the 
remnant  of  Israel !  "  8  [Then  will  come  His  gracious  answer]  : 
Behold,  I  bring  them  from  the  land  of  the  North,  and  gather 
them  from  the  farthest  sides  of  the  earth — the  blind  and  the 
lame,  as  well  as  the  strong;  the  woman  with  child,  and  she  that 
is  about  to  bring  forth,  together.  A  great  community  are  they 
as  they  return  !  9  They  will  come  with  weeping  and  with  suppli- 
cations, as  I  lead  them.  I  will  guide  them  to  streams  of  water, 
by  a  smooth  path,  on  which  they  will  not  stumble,  for  I  will  be  a 
Father  to  Israel,  and  Ephraim  shall  be  my  firstborn. 

10  Hear  the  word  of  Jehovah,^  O  ye  nations,  and  tell  it  to  the 
farthest  coasts  and  islands,  and  say  :  "  He  that  scattered  Israel 
will  gather  him,  and  will  guard  him  as  a  shepherd  doth  his  flock." 

II  For  Jehovah  has  redeemed  Jacob,^  and  ransomed  him  from  the 

^  Ewald  refers  this  to  the  favour  shown  Israel  after  its  escape 
from  Egypt.  Others  think  it  is  spoken  of  the  remnant  of  the 
tribes  who  have  survived  the  Assyrian  captivity.  But  Babylon, 
or  Assyria,  was  a  wilderness  to  the  fancy  of  the  Jew,  compared 
with  his  own  land.  The  explanations  of  the  last  clause  are  nume- 
rous.    I  have  given  what  seems  to  me  the  best  translation. 

=  Heb.,  "  built." 

^  Heb.,  toph ;  Arab.,  duff,  or  diff;  our  tambourine.  See  "tim- 
brel "  and  "  tabret,"  in  Concordance. 

4  Jer.  xxxi.  7-9.  6  Amos  vi.  1.     Ezek.  xix.  5. 

6  Jer.  xxxi.  10-14.  7  The  Ten  Tribes. 


74  THE    INVESTMENT    OF   JERUSALEM. 

hand  that  was  stronger  than  he,  12  and  they  will  come  and  sing  on 
the  height  of  Zion,  and  stream  to  the  blessings  of  Jehovah,  which 
He  shall  give  them  in  the  fatherland — to  the  wheat,  and  to  the 
wine,  and  to  the  oil,  and  to  the  young  sheep  and  oxen ;  and  their 
soul  shall  be  as  a  garden  rich  in  waters,  and  they  shall  not  droop 
or  pine  away  any  more.  13  Then  shall  the  virgin  enjoy  herself  in 
the  dance;*  young  men  and  old  will  rejoice  together;  and  I  will 
turn  their  mourning  into  joy,  and  comfort  them,  and  make  them 
glad,  after  their  sorrow.  14  And  I  will  satiate "  the  priests  with 
fatness,^  and  My  people  will  be  satisfied  with  My  bounty,  saith 
Jehovah. 

An  exquisite  passage  now  comes,  in  which  the  long 
dead  Rachel,  the  mother  of  Joseph,  and  thus  the  an- 
cestress of  the  great  tribe  of  Ephraim,  the  representative 
of  the  Ten  Tribes^  is  seen  risen  from  the  grave  and 
lamenting  their  loss,  at  Ramah,  the  lofty  hill  on  the 
boundary  between  the  kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Israel, 
whence  she  could  look  afar  over  the  now  desolate  home 
of  her  northern  children.  But  Jehovah  Himself  comforts 
her  as  she  weeps.  Let  Israel  repent  of  his  sins,  and  he 
will  surely  return. 

1 5  Thus  saith  Jehovah : ''  A  voice  is  heard  in  Ramah,'  loud  cries 
of  sorrow  and  bitter  weeping.  Rachel  weeps  over  her  children 
and  refuses  to  be  comforted,  because  they  are  not. 

But  Jehovah  appears  to  console  and  cheer  her. 

16  Refrain  thy  voice  from  weeping  '^  and  thine  eyes  from  tears, 

^  The  maidens  danced  by  themselves. 

2  Lit.,  "  water  or  refresh." 

*  The  number  of  the  finest  beasts  offered  as  sacrifices  will  be 
very  numerous,  so  that  the  share  of  the  priests  and  their  families 
— the  wave  breast  and  heave  shoulder  (Lev.  vii.  31-34) — will  more 
than  supply  them.  ^  Jer.  xxxi.  15. 

^  Now  Er  Ram,  five  English  miles  N.  of  Jerusalem.  It  is  on 
the  top  of  a  detached  hill  commanding  a  wide  view  to  the  north. 

6  Jer.  xxxi.  16-17. 


THE    INVESTMENT    OF   JERUSALEM.  75 

says  the  All-merciful;  for  thou  shalt  still  have  a  reward  of  thy 
motherly  sorrow  and  care— thou  guide  of  the  youth  of  Joseph — 
thou  who  gavest  thy  life  to  give  Benjamin  his — thou  who  didst 
so  yearn  for  children — thy  sons  shall  come  back  again  from  the 
land  of  the  enemy.  17  There  is  hope  for  thy  future,  saith 
Jehovah;  thy  sons  shall  return  to  their  own  borders ! 

Repentance  is  needed  on  the  part  of  Israel^  to  secure 
its  deliverance  from  captivity ;  but  this  is  not  wanting. 

18  I  have  assuredly  heard  Ephraim  lamenting  his  sins  :^  "  Thou 
hast  chastised  me,"  said  he.  "  I  received  correction  like  an  ox 
unbroken ;  turn  me,  that  I  may  turn,  for  Thou,  Jehovah,  art  my 
God.  19  For  after  I  had  turned  away  from  Thee  I  repented ;  and 
after  I  came  to  my  right  mind  I  smote  on  my  thigh,  for  grief  at 
my  sin ;  I  blush  and  am  ashamed  that  I  should  bear  such  reproach 
for  the  guilt  of  my  youth." 

At  this  confession  of  sin  by  Ephraim^  the  old  love  of 
Jehovah  for  him  rekindles. 

20  Is  Ephraim,  then,^  a  dear  son  to  me  ?  Is  he  a  son  I  de- 
lighted to  caress  ?  For,  often  as  I  spoke  against  him,  I  still 
thought  of  him  fondly.  Therefore,  my  heart  sighs  for  him;  I 
will  surely  have  mercy  on  him,  saith  Jehovah. 

Preparations  for  his  safe  return  across  the  wilderness, 
from  Assyria  to  Palestine^  are  therefore  to  be  made. 

21  Set  up  stones  to  mark  the  way;^  raise  heaps  of  stones  to 
point  it  out :  turn  thy  thoughts  to  the  road  thou  hast  to  take : 
the  same  road  by  which  thou  wast  led  into  captivity  :  return,  0 
Virgin  of  Israel,  return  to  these  thy  towns !  22  How  long  wilt 
thou  hesitate  to  take  the  right  way,  0  backsliding  daughter  ?  For 
Jehovah  has  created  a  new  thing  in  the  earth ;  it  is  the  part  of 
a  man — the  stronger — to  protect  and  care  for  the  woman ;  but 
thou,  the  woman — the  bride  of  Jehovah — wilt  be  allowed  to  pro- 
tect Me,  by  protecting  My  temple,  My  worship,  and  My  honour,'* 

I  Jer.  xxxi.  18, 19.        "  Jer.  xxxi.  20.        3  jer.  xxxi.  21,  22. 

*  See  on  this  explanation,  Keil,  Jeremiah,  pp.  331-2.  A  great 
variety  of  opinions  may  be  read  in  Rosenmiiller,  Scholia,  ad  loc. 
"To  compass  "  =  to  cherish  and  protect. 


76  THE    INVESTMENT    OF   JERUSALEM. 

Judah^  also,  shall  be  restored  from  captivity. 

23  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts,^  the  God  of  Israel :  They  shall 
again  use  this  speech  in  the  land  of  Judah,  and  in  its  towns,  when 
I  bring  back  their  captivity  :  **  Jehovah  bless  thee,  0  habitation 
of  righteousness ;  thou  holy  mount ! "  ^  24  And  therein  will  all 
Judah  dwell,  with  all  the  population  of  its  towns ;  some  as  hus- 
bandmen, some  going  forth  with  flocks.  25  For  I  will  refresh 
the  weary  soul,  and  satisfy  him  that  languishes. 

The  prophet  had  seen  and  heard  all  this  while  in  a 
sleep-like  trance/  but  the  joy  it  gave  him  broke  the 
spell,  and  he  now  awakes  and  sees  things  around,  as 
one  restored  to  his  normal  state.  No  wonder  that  he 
adds,  "My  sleep  was  sweet  unto  me.^'  But,  ere  long, 
his  thoughts  fell  back  to  the  same  train,  and  the  happy 
future  of  Judah  and  Israel,  as  a  nation  once  more  united, 
rose  in  vision  before  him. 

27  Behold,  the  days  come  ^  (said  the  heavenly  Voice),  when  I 
will  sow  the  House  of  Israel,  and  the  House  of  Judah,  as  if  they 
were  a  fruitful  field,  with  the  seed  of  man  and  with  the  seed  of 
cattle.  28  And  as  I  have  been  wakeful  over  them,  to  pluck  up 
and  root  out,  to  destroy,  and  consume,  and  harm,  so  will  I  be 
wakeful  over  them  to  build  and  to  plant,  saith  Jehovah. 

There  will,  then,  be  no  longer  the  disposition  to  blame 
the  sins  of  the  fathers  and  overlook  their  own,  as  the 
cause  of  all  they  have  suffered  in  exile. 

29  In  those  days  they  will  no  longer  say,  as  ye  do  constantly  now, 
"  The  fathers  ate  sour  grapes  and  the  teeth  of  the  sons  are  set  on 
edge."  ^  30  But  every  one  shall  die  only  for  his  own  sins  ;  every 
man  who  eats  sour  grapes,  his  teeth,  only,  shall  be  set  on  edge. 

A  community  thus  realizing  the  responsibility  of  its 
piembers  for  their  spiritual  condition  and  acts,  would 

^  Jer.  xxxi.  23-25.  2  tj^^  ^^^^  ^j  Judah. 

8  Jer.  xxxi.  26.  «  Jer.  xxxi.  27-30. 

*  Ezek.  xviii.  2.     See  page  21. 


THE    INVESTMENT    OP   JERUSALEM. 


77 


necessarily  be  actuated  by  a  higher  motive  than  the  mere 
wish  to  honour  God  by  outward  service.  Grateful  for 
His  restoring  them  to  their  own  land,  obedience  to  Him 
would  be  a  willing  homage  of  love.  A  New  Covenant, 
written,  not  like  the  former,  on  tables  of  stone,  but  on 
the  "fleshy  tables  of  the  heart,^'  would,  therefore,  be 
made  with  them  by  Jehovah. 

31  Behold,  the  days  come,^  saith  Jehovah,  when  I  shall  make  a 
new  Covenant  with  the  House  of  Israel,  and  with  the  House  of 
Judah ;  32  not  like  the  Covenant  I  made  with  their  fathers,  on  the 
day  when  I  took  them  by  the  hand,  to  lead  them  out  from  the 
land  of  Egypt,  which.  My  Covenant,  they  have  broken,  though  I 
had  become  their  husband,-  saifcli  Jehovah. 

33  But  this  is  the  Covenant  ^  that  I  will  make  with  the  House 
of  Israel,  after  those  days,  saith  Jehovah ;  I  will  put  ^  my  law^  in 
their  inmost  parts,  and  write  it  on  their  hearts,  and  will  be  their 
God,  and  they  shall  be  My  people.  34  And  they  will  no  longer 
need  to  teach  every  man  his  neighbour,  and  every  man  his 
brother,  saying,  "Know  Jehovah";  for  they  shall  all  know  Me, 
from  the  least  to  the  greatest,  saith  Jehovah ;  and  I  will  forgive 
their  iniquity  and  I  will  remember  their  sin  no  more.^ 

The  covenant  made  at  Sinai,  written  on  stone,  had 
been  instituted  amidst  every  circumstance  of  awe,  and 
hence,  fear,  rather  than  love,  had  been  associated  with  its 
observance.  But  the  New  Covenant  of  the  Messianic 
times,  written  on  the  heart,  would  rest  on  love;  and 
holy  love  is,  like  the  soul,  immortal.     The  moral  nature 

»  Jer.  xxxi.  31,  32. 

2  The  word  in  the  Heb.  means  to  become  their  "  Lord,"  or 
"husband."  It  is  used  in  the  same  sense  in  Gen.  xx.  3;  Dent, 
xxi.  13,  xxii.  22,  xxiv.  1;  Isa.  Ixii.  4,  5,  liv.  1,  5;  Jer.  iii.  14; 
Mai.  ii.  11.  In  1  Chron.  iv.  22,  and  Isa.  xxvi.  13,  it  is  rendered 
"to  have  dominion  over." 

3  Jer.  xxxi.  33,  34.  «  Lit.,  "  give."  ^  Torah. 

^  Gratitude  for  sin  forgiven  will  lead  them  to  seek  to  know 
Jehovah,  and  will  keep  them  faithful  to  Him. 


78 


THE    INVESTMENT   OE   JEEUSALEM. 


would,  in  fact,  be  renewed,  as  of  old  the  world  had  been 
from  chaos,  and  the  laws  of  the  new  spiritual  creation 
woutd  prove  as  permanent  and  unchanging  as  those  of 
the  material  universe. 

35  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  ^  who  appointed  the  sun  for  light  by 
day ;  the  ordinance  of  the  moon  and  stars  for  light  by  night ;  who 
throws  the  sea  into  a  commotion  so  that  its  waves  roar ;  Jehovah 
of  Hosts  is  His  name:  36  If  these  ordinances  fail  from  before  Me, 


Ancient  Sepulchees  is  the  Valley  of  Hinnom. 

saith  Jehovah,  so  also  will  the  seed  of  Israel  cease  to  be  a  nation, 
before  Me,  for  ever!  37  Thus  saith  Jehovah:  If  heaven  above 
can  be  measured,  and  the  foundations  of  the  earth  beneath  be 
searched  out,  I  will  also  reject  all  the  seed  of  Israel,  notwith- 
standing all  that  they  have  done,  saith  Jehovah. 

Jerusalem  would  be  rebuilt  and  flourish  in  those  days. 
1  Jer.  xxxi.  35-37. 


THE    INVESTMENT    OF   JERUSALEM.  79 

38  Behold  the  days  come,  ^  saith  Jehovah,  that  the  city  Jerusalem 
will  be  rebuilt  for  Jehovah,  from  the  Tower  of  Hananeel "  to  the 
gate  of  the  corner.  ^  39  And  the  measuring  line  will  go  still 
farther,  straight  forward,  over  the  hill  Gareb,"*  and  bend  towards 
Goath.5  40  And  the  whole  of  Benhinnom,  the  valley  of  corpses  ^ 
and  ashes,"  defiled  now  as  the  scene  of  the  horrors  of  Moloch 
worship,^  and  all  the  space  east  to  the  Valley  of  Kidron,  to  the 
corner  where  the  Horse  Gate  is,  at  the  south-east  angle  of  the 
wall,  will  be  holy  to  Jehovah,  and  shall  no  more  be  rooted  up 
or  destroyed  for  ever ! 

»  Jer.  xxxi.  38-40. 

2  At  the  north-east  of  the  city  wall.     Neh.  iii.  1.    Zech.  xiv.  10. 

^  At  the  north-west  corner  of  the  town  ;  north  or  north-west 
of  the  present  Jaffa  Gate.  2  Kings  xiv.  13.  2  Chron.  xxvi.  9. 
Zech.  xiv.  10. 

^  Gareb  =  the  place  of  the  lepers.  An  unknown  height  on  the 
west  of  the  city. 

^  An  unknown  spot  on  the  south-west  of  the  city.  The  re- 
stored Jerusalem  would  include  spaces  lying  outside  the  old  city. 
It  is  called  in  the  Talmud  "  The  heifer's  pool." 

^  Carcases  of  criminals  and  of  animals  were  thrown  out  in  the 
Valley  of  Hinnora. 

7  Part  of  the  valley  was  set  apart  for  the  mingled  ashes  and 
fat  of  the  sacrifices,  to  consume  which  an  "  unquenchable  fire  " 
was  kept  always  burning. 

®  2  Kings  xxiii.  10. 


CHAPTEE  V. 

DUEING   THE    SIEGE. 

JEREMIAH  was  fortunate  enougli  to  preserve  his 
liberty  for  some  time  after  the  siege  had  begun,  but 
it  was  in  danger  from  day  to  day.  Nebuchadnezzar's 
army,  including,  besides  Chaldeans,  contingents  from 
every  land  subject  to  him/  had  full  possession  of  the 
country  outside  the  gates  of  Jerusalem,  and  were  besieg- 
ing not  only  Jerusalem,  but  also,  at  the  same  time,  Lachish 
and  Azekah,  fortified  towns  belonging  to  Judah,  on  the 
Philistine  plain. ^  The  stubborn  tenacity  of  the  capital, 
however,  remained  unbroken,  and  its  hope  that  Egypt 
would  send  a  force  to  relieve  it  was  unshaken.  Amidst 
such  excitement,  to  run  counter  to  the  popular  feeling 
was  dangerous  in  the  extreme,  and  would  have  been 
made  an  excuse  for  silence  by  ordinary  men.  But 
Jeremiah  knew  that  resistance  was  vain,  and  lost  no 
opportunity  of  proclaiming  this,  even  to  the  king  in 
person.  Zedekiah  had  already  consulted  him,  as  we 
have  seen,  as  to  the  future ;  but  this  did  not  content  the 
prophet.  Seizing  opportunities  of  meeting  him,  either 
by  penetrating  to  his  chambers  in  the  palace,  or  when  he 
came  abroad,  Jeremiah  sought,  again  and  again,  to  warn 
him  of  the  madness  of  further  resistance. 

*  Jer.  xxxiv.  1.  '  Jer.  xxxiv.  1,  7. 


DURING   THE    SIEGE. 


81 


"  Thus  saith  Jehovali/'  said  he,  on  one  occasion  when 
he  had  made  his  way  into  the  royal  presence.^ 

2  Behold,  I  will  give  this  city  into  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Baby- 
lon, that  he  may  burn  it  with  fire.  3  And  thou  shalt  not  escape 
out  of  his  hand,  but  shalt  surely  be  taken,  and  delivered  into  his 
hand ;  and  thine  eyes  shall  see  the  eyes  of  the  king  of  Babylon 
and  thy  mouth  will  speak  with  his  mouth,  and  thou  shalt  go  to 
Babylon."  4  Yet,  hear  the  word  of  Jehovah,  0  Zedekiah,  thou  king 
of  Judah.  Thus  says  Jehovah  respecting  thee.  Thou  shalt  not  die 
by  the  sword.  5  Thou  shalt  die  in  peace,  and  they  will  burn  spices 
at  thy  burial,^  as  they  did  at  the  burial  of  thy  fathers,  and  they 
will  raise  over  thee  the  usual  lament,  "Ah,  lord!" — for  I  have 
spoken  the  word,  says  Jehovah. 

One  of  the 
forms  of  op- 
pression a- 
gainst  which 
Jeremiah  and 
other  prophets 
constantly  de- 
claimed, was 
the  retention  of 
free-born  Hebrews  of  both  sexes,  in  slavery,  contrary  to 
the  law.  It  was  illegal  to  hold  any  one  as  a  household 
slave  for  more  than  six  years,  though  field  slaves,  under 
special  circumstances,  might  be  kept  as  such  till  the  year 
of  Jubilee.*  Both  classes,  however,  were  to  be  treated 
as  kindly  as  if  they  were  hired  servants.^  But  the  rich 
men  of  Jerusalem  ignored  these  provisions  of  the  law, 

1  Jer.  xxxiv.  2-7. 

2  Jer.  lii.  11 ;  xxxii.  4.     Ezek.  xii.  13. 

^  It  was  usual  with  other  nations  to  burn  aromatic  perfumes  at 
the  burial  or  burning  of  great  persons.  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat,  xii.  18. 
The  Assyrians  seem  to  have  in  some  cases  burned  the  bodies  of 
the  dead,  but  the  Hebrews  buried  them. 

*  Exod.  xxi.  2.     Dent.  xv.  12,  *  Jer.  xxv.  39-55. 

VOL.    VI.  Q 


AsSTBIAir  FUXEBAL  TTbNS  70B  THE  ASHBS  OF  THE   DSAD. 

From  Gosse's  Assyria. 


82  DUEING    THE    SIEGE. 

aud  held  numbers  of  household  servants  in  perpetual 
slavery.  The  imminent  danger  of  the  city  now,  how- 
ever, for  the  moment,  roused  the  conscience  of  the  king 
in  favour  of  these  helpless  victims.  Jeremiah's  words 
had  sunk  into  his  heart,  and  he  resolved  to  take  one  step, 
at  least,  in  the  right  direction,  by  setting  all  the  Hebrew 
slaves  in  Jerusalem  free,  apparently  without  regard  to 
the  length  of  time  they  had  served.  The  need  of  all 
possible  help  in  the  defence  may,  perhaps,  have  been,  in 
part,  a  consideration,  and  also,  the  prudent  wish  to  avert 
disaffection  among  the  oppressed,  when  hearty  union  was 
so  imperative.  Amidst  the  terrors  of  the  siege,  therefore, 
a  great  assembly  of  the  citizens  was  held  in  the  temple,^ 
and  acquiescence  in  a  decree  of  emancipation  wrung 
from  all  slaveholders ;  their  formal  assent  to  this  reform 
being  solemnly  confirmed  by  a  covenant  ratified  by  the 
usual  sacrifices.^  The  decree  of  enfranchisement  was 
then  published,  and,  even  amidst  the  perils  of  the  hour, 
the  great  act  of  justice  spread  a  momentary  gladness 
through  all  bosoms.^ 

But  reforms  carried  in  a  paroxysm  of  excitement  are 
apt  to  be  short  lived.  News  reached  the  Chaldeans,  very 
soon  after,  that  an  Egyptian  army,  destined  for  the  relief 
of  Jerusalem,  had  invaded  the  south  of  Palestine,*  thus 
creating  a  danger  to  the  besiegers  which  forced  them  to 
abandon  the  investment  of  the  city  for  a  time,  and  march 
against  the  new  foe.  To  lead  a  large  force  down  the 
steep  and  narrow  defiles,  from  the  table  land  to  the  coast 
plains,  was  no  easy  matter,  and  secured  for  the  capital  a 
respite  of  at  least  two  or  three  months.  Hopes  forthwith 
ran  high  among  the  citizens,  that  the  disappearance  of 
their  assailants  was  final ;  the  victory  of  Pharaoh  Hophra 

*  Jer.  xxxiv.  15.  "  Jer.  xxxiv.  18. 

3  Jer.  xxxiv.  8-10.  *  Jer.  xxxvii.  5. 


DURING    THE    SIEGE.  83 

being  confidently  assumed.  But  he  was  soon  driven 
back  to  Egypt ;  if,  indeed,  as  some  accounts  say,  he  did 
not  retire  at  once  without  fighting,  on  the  approach  of 
the  Chaldeans. 

The  interval  of  fancied  security  was  ruinous  to  Jeru- 
salem. The  slaves  so  lately  set  at  liberty  were  once 
more  seized,  and  deprived  of  their  brief  freedom.^  Vio- 
lence reigned  as  cruelly  as  in  the  worst  days  of  the  past. 
The  wildest  agitation  prevailed.  Even  a  semblance  of 
order  could  only  be  maintained  by  the  clubs  and  spears 
of  the  retainers  of  the  slave-holding  lords.  Jerusalem 
was  rent  by  the  bitterest  of  all  feuds,  the  struggle  of  a 
despairing  proletariat  for  its  personal  liberty.  Amidst 
this  fierce  uproar  and  commotion,  the  voice  of  Jeremiah, 
fearless,  as  always,  in  defence  of  the  rights  of  the  poor 
against  the  injustice  of  the  rich  and  privileged  classes, 
was  heard  denouncing  the  oppressor,  and  sympathizing 
with  the  downtrodden. 

13  Thus  saith  Jehovah,^  the  God  of  Israel, — cried  the  noble 
tribune  of  the  people, — I  made  a  Covenant  with  your  fathers  in 
the  day  that  I  brought  them  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  from 
the  House  of  Slaves,  saying:  14  At  the  end  of  seven  years,^ 
ye  shall  set  free,  every  man.  bis  brother  Hebrew,  who  has  sold 
himself  to  thee ;  he  shall  !?erve  thee  six  years,  and  then  thou 
shalt  let  him  go  free.  But  your  fathers  hearkened  not  to  Me, 
neither  inclined  their  ear.  15  Ye,  however,  changing  this 
recently,  did  what  was  right  in  My  sight;  proclaiming  liberty, 

^  Jer.  xxxiv.  11.  .  *  Jer.  xxxiv.  12-16. 

3  At  the  end  of  six  years.  The  first  and  last  dates  were  both 
reckoned  by  the  Hebrews.  Thus  the  Jubilee  was,  strictly 
speaking,  the  49th  year,  nob  the  50th.  So  also  Circumcision, 
which  was  said  to  be  on  the  eighth  day,  was,  by  our  way  of  reck- 
oning, on  the  seventh;  and  our  Lord's  Kesurrectiou,  which  by 
the  Jewish  counting  was  to  take  place  on  the  third  day,  was 
by  ours  to  be  on  the  second. 


84  DURING   THE    SIEGE. 

every  man,  to  his  neiglabour ;  and  made  a  Covenant  to  this 
effect  before  Me,  in  the  House  which  is  called  by  My  name. 
i6  But  ye  have  now  changed  again,  and  have  polluted  My 
name,  and  have  taken  back  every  one  his  man  slave  and  every 
one  his  woman  slave,  whom  he  had  set  free  of  his  own  will,  and 
have  forced  them  once  more  into  bondage. 

17  Therefore,  thus  saith  Jehovah,^  since  ye  have  not  hearkened 
to  Me,  by  keeping  true  to  your  proclamation  of  liberty  to  your 
brothers  and  neighbours ;  behold,  I  now  proclaim  liberty  to  you, 
saith  Jehovah;  liberty  to  the  sword,  the  pestilence,  and  the 
famine,  to  ravage  you ;  and  I  give  you  up  to  be  a  shuddering  to 
all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth !  18  And  I  will  make  the  men  who 
have  broken  my  Covenant  given  of  old,  and  have  not  kept  this 
present  one  which  they  but  as  yesterday  swore  before  Me,  like  the 
calf  which  they  cut  in  two,  and  between  the  pieces  of  which  they 
passed,"  when  these  Covenants  were  made.  19  The  princes  of 
Judah  and  of  Jerusalem,  the  courtiers  and  the  priests,  and  all  the 
people  of  the  land,  who  passed  between  the  pieces  of  the  calf, 
20  I  will  give  into  the  hand  of  their  enemies,  and  into  the  hand 
of  those  who  seek  their  life,  and  their  dead  bodies  shall  be  meat  for 
the  fowls  of  the  heaven  and  for  the  beasts  of  the  earth.  21  And 
Zedekiah,  the  king  of  Judah,  and  his  princes,  will  I  give  into  the 
hand  of  their  enemies,  and  into  the  hand  of  the  array  of  the  king 
of  Babylon,  which  has  for  the  time  withdrawn  from  Jerusalem. 
22  Behold,  I  will  command,  saith  Jehovah,  and  bring  them  back 
to  this  city,  to  fight  against  it,  and  take  it,  and  burn  it  with  fire; 
and  I  will  make  the  towns  of  Judah  a  desolation,  without  an 
inhabitant ! 

The  relief  enjoyed  by  the  temporary  retirement  of  the 
Chaldeans  from  the  siege,  however  misleading  to  others 
as  to  the  final  issue  of  the  struggle^  did  not  for  a  moment 
change  the  fixed  convictions  of  Jeremiah.  Divinely 
illuminated,  he  knew  that  Egypt  would  be  defeated 
and  ultimately  crushed  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  this  he 
sought  to  get  his  fellow-citizens  to  believe,  that  they 
might  save  at  least  their  lives  and  the  town,  by  timely 
submission  to  the  Chaldeans. 

1  Jer.  xxxiv.  17-22.  ^  Gen.  xv.  10. 


DURING    THE    SIEGE.  85 

The  word  of  Jehovah^  he  announced,  had  come  to  him, 


14  Declare  ye  in  Egypt,  publish  it  in  Migdol,^  make  it  known 
in  Noph  and  Tahpanhes  !  -  Say  :  Stand  forth  and  prepare  thyself, 
for  the  sword  has  devoured  the  nations  round  about  you.  15  Why 
is  thy  Mighty  One  overthrown  ?  ^  He  could  not  stand,  for 
Jehovah  has  cast  him  down.  16  He  causes  many  to  fall;  yea,  one 
falls  on  the  other;  the  bands  of  the  mercenary  troops  say  :  "  Up  ! 
let  us  return  to  our  own  people,  to  the  land  of  our  birth,  from  the 
exterminating  sword."     17  They  call  Pharaoh,''  the  king  of  Egypt, 

1  Jer.  xlvi.  13-19. 

2  Migdol,  or  Magdolon  (a  military  "  watch  tower  "),  was  twelve 
miles  from  Pelusium,  or  Avaris,  the  north-east  frontier  town  of 
Egypt.  It  lay  S.W.  from  Avaris  on  the  only  road.  Tahpanhes 
(see  vol.  V.  p.  146),  lay  eight  or  ten  miles  fiirther  to  the  S.E.,  on 
the  same  road.  Noph,  contracted  from  Menoph,  is  Memphis, 
the  ancient  capital  of  Lower  Egypt.  Its  ruins  lie  south  of  the 
present  Cairo,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Nile.  See  vol.  ii.  pp.  13-16. 
See  also  Brugsch's  Map. 

3  The  adjective  translated  in  the  A.  V.  "valiant"  is  plural,  but 
the  verb  and  the  pronouns  in  the  clause  are  singular.  It  has 
hence  been  thought  that  the  adjective,  also,  should  be  singular; 
the  only  change  needed  to  make  it  so  being  the  omission  of  the 
letter  Yod,  the  smallest  in  the  Hebrew  alphabet,  which  may  have 
been  inserted  by  a  copyist  to  suit  the  plural  verb,  etc.  The 
Septuagint,  treating  it  as  singular,  refers  it  to  the  sacred  ox 
Khaph— Apis  or  Hapi — the  supreme  god  of  Memphis,  translating 
the  phrase,  "Why  has  Apis,  thy  chosen  one,  fled?  "  But  other 
towns  besides  Memphis  are  named,  and  Apis  was  worshipped  in 
Memphis  alone.  He  was  indeed  "The  Mighty  One"  of  that  city; 
jnst  as  Jehovah  was  "  The  Mighty  One  of  Israel."  The  plural  of 
the  adjective,  it  may  be  added,  is  used  of  strong  oxen,  but  the 
singular  never  stands  for  an  ox.  On  the  whole,  the  singular 
seems  likely  to  be  correct,  and  may  be  applied  either  to  the  king 
of  Egypt  or  to  the  god  Apis,  as  is  thought  best  by  the  reader. 
Ewald  translates  the  passage  "  Thy  Ox  is  carried  off." 

*  The  Sept.,  Syriac  and  Yulgate,  by  the  change  of  the  vowel  in 
the  Hebrew,  read  "  the  name  of  "  for  "  these." 


86  DURING    THE    SIEGE. 

"  a  ruined  man  "  ;  for  he  has  let  his  season  of  grace  pass  away  ! 
i8  As  I  live,  says  the  King,  whose  name  is  Jehovah  of  Hosts: 
Verily,  as  a  Tabor  among  the  mountains  and  a  Carmel  on  the 
Sea,  will  the  invading  destroyer  come.^  19  Make  ready  thy 
packing,  in  preparation  for  being  carried  off  captive,  ye  citizens 
of  Egypt;  for  Noph  shall  be  waste  and  desolate,  without  an 
inhabitant. 

20  EgypL^  is  like  a  wondrously  fair  heifer,  but  a  deadly  gadfly* 
comes  out  of  the  north  to  destroy  her !  2 1  Her  foreign  hired  troops 
also,  in  her  midst,  men  like  fatted  bullocks,  even  they  turn  their 
backs  and  flee  together,  and  will  not  face  the  foe ;  for  the  day  of 
their  destruction  has  come  on  them ;  the  time  of  their  punish- 
ment. 22  The  voice  of  Egypt,  bowed  and  humbled  to  the  dust,  ia 
like  the  rustle  of  a  serpent  gliding  off  in  alarm  through  the  fallen 
leaves  of  a  wood ;  for  her  enemies  march  against  her  in  strength, 
and  come  with  axes  against  her,  like  men  that  hew  down  trees; 
23  and  they  will  hew  down  her  forest,^  saith  Jehovah,  for  their 
number  is  countless,  they  are  more  than  the  locusts,  they  are 
innumerable.  24  The  daughter  of  Egypt  is  put  to  shame,  she  is 
given  into  the  hand  of  the  people  of  the  North.  25  Thus  saith 
Jehovah  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel :  Behold,  I  will  visit  Amon, 
the  god  of  No — that  is,  Thebes  ^ — and  Pharaoh,  and  Egypt  ;  its 
gods  and  its  kings ;  the  Pharaoh  and  those  who  trust  in  him ; 
26  and  I  will  give  them  into  the  hand  of  their  deadly  foe,  into 
the  hand  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  into  the 
hand  of  his  servants.  Yet,  afterwards,  it  will  flourish  ^  as  in  the 
days  of  old,  saith  Jehovah. 

27  But  fear  not  thou,  0  my  servant  Jacob,^  and  be  not  dismayed 
0  Israel !     For,  behold,  I  will  deliver  thee  from  the  far-off  land, 


^  His  awful  might  will  rise  high  over  that  of  all  around  him,  as 
Tabor  and  Carmel  above  the  landscape  at  their  feet.  Tabor  is 
1,805  feet  above  the  sea  level,  1,350  feet  above  the  plain  below. 
Carmel  sinks  into  the  Mediterranean  in  a  steep  cliff  more  than 
500  feet  in  height.     Bohinson. 

2  Lit.,  "  daughter."  ^  jer.  slvi.  20-26. 

*  Miililait-  und  Volch.  Gesenius,  Sup2J.  to  Thes.,  p.  111.  Ewald 
translates  it  "  a  monster."     Graf  and  others,  as  in  the  text. 

5  Jer.  xxi.  14.     Isa.  x.  18,  33.  ^  See  vol.  ii.  p.  14 

7  Lit.  "  be  inhabited."  «  Jer.  xlvi.  27, 28. 


DURING   THE    SIEGE.  87 

and  thy  seed  from  the  land  of  its  captivity,  and  Jacob  shall  return, 
and  be  at  rest  and  secure,  no  one  disturbing  him.  28  Fear  not 
thou,  0  Jacob,  My  servant,  says  Jehovah;  for  I  am  with  thee;  for 

1  will  make  an  utter  end  of  all  the  nations  whither  I  have  driven 
thee,  but  I  will  not  make  an  utter  end  of  thee,  but  only  chasten 
thee  according  to  right,  and  not  leave  thee  unpunished. 

Intercourse  between  Jerusalem  and  the  exiles  on  the 
Chebar  was  still  swift  and  constant  in  these  years,  and 
false  hopes  of  the  triumph  of  Egypt,  cherished  among 
them  as  much  as  in  Palestine,  needed  no  less  to  be 
discouraged.  Hence,  on  the  twelfth  day  of  Tebet,^ 
nearly  our  January,  in  the  year  588,  Ezekiel  addressed 
his  fellow- captives  in  words  very  similar  to  those  of 
Jeremiah  in  the  far-off  capital. 

I  The  word  of  Jehovah  has  come  to  me^  (cried  he),  saying: 

2  Set  thy  face  against  Pharaoh,  the  king  of  Egypt,  and  prophesy 
against  him  and  against  all  Egypt.  3  Speak,  and  say :  Thus  says 
the  Lord  Jehovah,  Behold,  I  come  against  thee,  0  Pharaoh,  king 
of  Egypt,  thou  great  crocodile,  lying  in  the  midst  of  the  canals  of 
the  Nile,  who  hast  said,  "  My  Nile  stream  is  my  own ;  I  made  it 
what  it  is  for  myself,  by  canals,  dams,  sluices,  and  reservoirs." 
4  But  I  will  put  a  ring  in  thy  jaws,  and  will  make  the  fish  of  thy 
streams — that  is,  the  people  of  thy  laud — cleave  to  thy  scales, 
and  I  will  drag  thee  up  out  of  the  midst  of  thy  canals,  and  all 
the  fish  in  them  will  stick  to  thy  scales,  5  And  I  will  throw  thee 
out  into  the  desert,  thee  and  all  the  fish  of  thy  canals  ;  thou  wilt 
fall  on  the  open  ground;  thou  shalt  not  be  lifted  up  nor  buried; 
for  I  give  thee  for  meat  to  the  beasts  of  the  earth  and  the  fowls 
of  heaven.  6  And  all  the  inhabitants  of  Egypt  shall  know  that 
I  am  Jehovah,  because  they  are  a  staff  of  brittle  reed  to  the 
House  of  Israel.  7  When  its  sons  take  hold  of  thee  with  the  hand 
thou  snappest  across,  and  tearesb  off  their  whole  shoulder ;  when 
they  lean  on  thee  thou  breakest  so  that  their  whole  body  shakes. 

8  Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Behold,  I  bring  on 

*  Lit.,  in  the  10th  moon  ;  the  12th  day  of  the  moon. 
2  Ezek.  xxix.  1-12 


88  DUPJNG    THE    SIEGE. 

thee,  0  Egypt,  the  sword,  and  destroy  from  thee  man  and  beast. 
9  And  the  land  of  Egypt  will  be  made  waste  and  desert,  and 
they  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah. 

Because  Pharaoh  has  said,  "  The  Nile  stream  is  mine,  and  I 
have  made  it,"  lo  behold,  for  this,  I  am  against  thee,  and  against 
thy  canals,  and.  I  will  make  the  land  of  Egypt  utterly  waste  and 
desert,  from  Migdol  on  the  farthest  north-east,  to  Syene  on  the 
farthest  south,  that  is,  to  the  borders  of  Ethiopia.  No  foot  of 
man  or  of  cattle  will  pass  through  it,  nor  vp^ill  it  be  inhabited  for 
forty  years.  1 1  And  I  will  make  the  land  of  Egypt  a  desolation 
above  all  desolate  lands,  and  her  towns  will  be  a  desolation  above 
all  desolate  towns  for  forty  years ;  and  I  will  scatter  the  Egyp- 
tians among  the  nations,  and  disperse  them  through  the  lands. 

13  Yet,^  thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  At  the  end  of  forty  years 
I  will  gather  the  Egyptians  from  the  peoples  whither  they  were 
scattered.  14  And  I  will  bring  back  the  captives  of  Egypt,  and 
will  restore  them  to  the  land  of  Pathros,"  the  land  of  their  birth, 
and  there  they  shall  be  a  weak  kingdom.  15  It  will  be  the 
weakest  of  kingdoms,  nor  will  it  exalt  itself  any  more  above  the 
nations ;  for  I  will  make  them  weak,  that  they  may  no  more  rule 
over  the  nations.  16  And  Egypt  will  no  longer  be  the  trust  of 
the  House  of  Israel,  bringing  their  sin  in  remembrance  before 
God  by  their  thus  turning  away  from  Him  to  look  to  them. 
And  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

Three  months  later/  when  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  was 
near  the  end  of  its  fifteenth  month,*  perhaps  after  the 
receipt,  from  Palestine,  of  news  that  Pharaoh^ s  attempted 
relief  had  been  defeated,  Ezekiel  once  more  addressed 
the  exiles  on  the  engrossing  subject  of  the  prospects  of 
future  help  to  Judah  from  the  Nile.  The  word  of 
Jehovah,  he  tells  us,  came  to  him  saying, — 

21  Son  of  man!  I  have  broken  the  arm  of  Pharaoh,  king  of 

1  Ezek.  xxix.  13-16. 

2  Egypt.  Petores  =  South-country,  Upper  Egypt ;  the  Thebais 
of  the  Greeks  and  Romans. 

3  Ezek.  XXX.  20-26. 

*  See  date  in  Ezek.  xxiv.  1,  2;  comp.  with  that  in  Ezek.  xxx.  20. 


DURING    THE    SIEGE.  89 

Egypt,  and,  lo,  ib  has  not  yet  been  set,^  so  that  salves  might  be 
applied  to  it,  or  a  bandage  wrapped  round  it,  to  make  it  strong 
to  hold  the  sword  again.  22  Therefore,  thus  says  the  Lord  Jeho- 
vah: Behold,  I  will  come  to  Pharaoh,  the  king  of  Egypt,  and 
break  both  his  arms — the  strong  one  and  that  which  has  already 
been  broken— and  will  cause  the  sword  to  fall  out  of  his  hand. 
23  And  I  will  scatter  the  Egyptians  among  the  nations,  and  dis- 
perse them  through  the  countries.^  24  And  I  will  strengthen  the 
arms  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  put  My  sword  into  his  hand, 
and  will  break  the  arms  of  Pharaoh,  so  that  he  shall  groan 
before  him  like  a  deadly  wounded  man.  25  I  will  strengthen 
the  arms  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  the  arms  of  Pharaoh 
shall  fall  down ;  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah,  when 
I  give  My  sword  into  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  that  he 
may  stretch  it  out  against  the  land  of  Egypt.  26  And  I  will 
scatter  the  Egyptians  among  the  nations,  and  disperse  them 
through  the  countries ;  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah. 

The  excitement  in  Babylonia  as  tlie  siege  of  Jerusalem 
drew  near  its  termination^  must  have  been  intense,  and 
the  increasing  certainty  that  it  would  result  in  the  utter 
destruction  of  the  Jewish  State,,  as  the  prophets  had 
foretold,  must  have  intensified  the  public  feeling  against 
Egypt,  as  the  temptress  that  had  led  it  to  its  ruin.  It 
is  not,  therefore,  matter  of  surprise  that  Ezekiel  turned 
again  to  the  subject,^  in  the  very  last  days  of  the  Holy 
City,  and  denounced  the  Pharaoh  afresh.  Most  of  this 
utterance,  however,  has  already  been  given,*  and  need  not 
be  repeated.  The  glory  of  Assyria  had  been  like  that 
of  the  grandest  cedar  of  Lebanon,  exciting  the  envy  of 
all  the  trees,  even  of  Eden.  Yet  it  had  fallen.  Egypt, 
therefore,  which  had  no  such  lordliness  of  which  to  boast, 
could  not  hope  to  escape  God^s  judgments.    The  Pharaoh 

^  Lit.,  "  bound." 

-  This  was  done  to  the  vast  crowds   of   prisoners  taken  by 
Nebuchadnezzar. 
3  Ezek.  xxxi.  1-18.  *  See  vol.  v.  p.  332, 


90  DURING   THE    SIEGE. 

iilso  would  be  cast  down  to  tlie  trees  of  Eden — the  great 
ones  of  Assyria — in  the  Underworld ;  he  would  lie  in  the 
midst  of  the  uncircumcised — that  is,  the  godless  heathen 
— who  had  been  slain  with  the  sword.  This,  adds 
Ezekiel,  is  the  fate  of  Pharaoh  and  all  his  multitude  :  so 
says  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

The  raising  of  the  siege,  as  has  been  said,  had  filled 
the  citizens  with  new  hopes  of  ultimate  deliverance,  for 
men  cling  to  their  cherished  dreams  in  the  face  of  every 
improbability.  All  classes  trusted  that  the  storm  had 
passed  over,  and  that  the  predictions  of  Jeremiah  would 
remain  unf alfilled.  Even  religious  feeling,  in  a  dull  and 
imperfect  way,  was  revived.  Jehovah,  the  national  God, 
must  be  consulted.  His  prophet  must  be  asked  to  inter- 
cede with  Him  for  the  city.  He  would  perhaps  hear  so 
faithful  a  servant.  Two  dignitaries  therefore,  Jehucal 
or  Jucal,^  apparently  one  of  the  princes  of  Judah,  but  a 
bitter  enemy  of  Jeremiah,  even  to  the  length  of  wishing 
to  kill  him,"  and  Zephaniah,  the  Sagan  or  second  priest, 
who,  as  commandant  of  the  temple,  had  been  appealed  to 
from  Babylon  to  punish  the  prophet,^  and  had  once  be- 
fore been  sent  to  him  by  Zedekiah,^  waited  on  the  seer, 
as  a  new  deputation  from  the  palace,  to  ask  him,  in  the 
name  of  the  king,  to  pray  for  his  fellow-citizens. 

But,  as  might  have  been  anticipated,  the  mission  was 
a  failure.  Intercession  with  God  was  not  to  be  bought 
either  by  threats  or  cajoling.  Humble  repentance  on  the 
part  of  the  king  and  his  people  alone  could  secure  it, 
and  this  was  wanting.  Incorruptible  amidst  a  degenerate 
community,  the  prophet  answered  the  king's  messengers 
as  the  spokesman  of  a  higher  than  their  master. 

*  Jer.  xxxviii.  1.  ^  Jer.  xxxviii.  4. 

»  Jer.  xxix.  25,  26.  *  Jer.  xxi.  1. 


DURING    THE    SIEGE.  91 

7  Thus  saith  Jeliovab^  the  God  of  Israel  (said  he  to  thern):  Speak 
thus  to  the  kiug  of  Jiidah,  that  sent  you  to  enquire  of  Me.  Be- 
hold, the  army  of  Pharaoh  which  has  marched  to  relieve  you, 
shall  return  to  Egypt,  their  own  land.  8  And  the  Chaldeans  will 
come  back,  and  fight  against  this  city  and  take  it,  and  burn  it 
with  fire. 

9  Thus  saith  Jehovah  :  ^  Do  not  deceive  yourselves,  thinking 
that  the  Chaldeans  are  finally  gone,  for  they  will  not  go.  lo  For 
if  ye  should  smite  the  whole  army  of  the  Chaldeans  which  fights 
against  you,  and  only  some  wounded  men  remained  of  them, 
even  these  would  stand  up,  every  man  in  his  tent,  and  burn  this 
city  with  fire. 

With  this  dismal  message,  the  courtiers  were  forced 
to  be  contented,  but  it  roused  to  the  uttermost  their 
hostihty  to  the  prophet,  and  speedily  led  to  active  mea- 
sures against  him.  Availing  himself  of  the  temporary 
withdrawal  of  the  besieging  army,^  he  had  resolved  to 
go  out  to  his  native  village,  Anathoth,  about  four  miles 
to  the  north,*  apparently  to  secure  his  share  of  the  tithes 
and  produce  of  the  Levitical  glebe  of  the  village,  due  to 
him  as  one  of  its  priests ;  the  distribution  being  made,  it 
would  seem,  in  pubHc,  at  stated  times.^  Knowing  that 
the  Chaldeans  would  return,  it  was  imperative  that  he 
should  obtain  the  means  of  subsistence,  to  take  back  into 
the  city,  so  soon  to  be  beleaguered  afresh.^     A  pretext 

»  Jer.  xxxvii.  6-8.     2  jgr.  xxxvii.  9-11.     3  jgr.  xxxvii.  11-15. 

*  Did.  of  the  Bible.  ^  "  In  the  midst  of  the  people,"  A.V. 

^  This  is  the  best  explanation  of  this  verse  (Jer.  xxxvii.  12). 
Some  think  he  went  to  claim  a  portion  of  land,  but  this  seems 
a  matter  not  likely  to  trouble  him  at  such  a  time.  The  words 
translated  "  to  separate  himself,"  lit.  mean  "  to  take  his  por- 
tion." Hitzig  thinks  it  was  a  Sabbath  year,  during  which  nothing 
had  been  sown,  and  that  Jeremiah  went  out  to  claim  his  strip 
of  ground  by  seeing  that  the  boundary  stones  were  right,  before 
the  soil  was  broken  up  for  a  new  crop.  The  prophet's  answer 
is  lit.,  "  It  is  a  lie !  I  am  not  deserting,"  etc. 


92  DURING    THE    SIEGE. 

for  violence  towards  one  so  unpopular  was  eagerly 
wished,  and  this  supplied  it.  No  sooner,  therefore,  did 
he  reach  the  gate  on  the  north  of  the  city,  known  as 
that  of  Benjamin  or  Ephraim,^  from  leading  to  the  ter- 
ritory of  these  tribes,  than  the  officer  in  charge  of  it 
arrested  him,  as  intending  to  desert  to  the  Chaldeans — 
though  these  were  now  away  on  their  march  against 
Pharaoh  Hophra.  In  vain  did  Jeremiah  repudiate  this 
accusation  with  Oriental  bluntness,  though  it  was  ridicu- 
lous on  its  very  face  :  he  was  led  off  at  once  to  the 
princes  or  privy  council.  These,  unfortunately,  were  no 
longer  the  same  as  had  befriended  him  so  warmly  under 
Jehoiakim.^  Thei/  had  probably  been  carried  off  to 
Babylon  with  Jeconiah.^  From  the  present  officials, 
whom  he  had  compared  to  rotten  figs,*  he  could  expect 
no  favour.  Glad  to  see  their  enemy  caught  at  last,  they 
broke  out  into  a  storm  of  rage  when  he  appeared,  and 
summarily  ordered  him  to  receive  forty  strokes  save 
one,  of  the  stick,^  a  terrible  punishment,  and  then  to  be 
thrust  into  an  underground  dungeon  in  the  house  of  one 
of  their  number,  Jonathan  the  scribe,  perhaps  their 
secretary. 

How  long  the  prophet  lay  in  this  "  house  of  the  pit,^' 
or  underground  '^  vault,^'  ^  is  not  known.  It  is  probable 
that  the  house  with  which  it  was  connected  stood  in  the 
temple  precincts,  or  near  the  palace  on  its  south  side. 
If  so,  one  of  the  countless  hidden  arches,  by  which  the 

^  Jer.  xxxviii.  7.    Zech.  xiv.  10.   2  Kings  xiv.  13.    Neh.  viii.  16. 

2  Jer.  xxvi.  16 ;  xxxvi.  19. 

*  Jer.  xxiv.  1 ;  xxix.  2.  *  Jer.  xxiv. 

^  The  text  says  "  smote  him."  Forty  stripes  were  the  legal 
maximum  of  a  public  scourging  (Deut.  xxv.  3).  But  only  thirty- 
nine  were  given,  for  fear  of  exceeding  the  lawful  number. 

6  Jer.  xxxvii.  16-21. 


DURING   THE    SIEGE.  93 

surface  was  raised  to  a  level  along  the  rough  sides 
of  Mount  Moriah,  may  have  been  his  prison;  for  the 
whole  of  the  plateau  of  both  temple  and  palace  is 
honeycombed  with  a  series  of  vaults  and  cisterns,  one  of 
the  former  extending  150  feet  from  north  to  south. ^  But 
wherever  the  dungeon  was,  the  sufferings  of  the  prophet 
were  intense  from  cold  or  neglect,  or  both ;  so  in- 
tense, indeed,  that  he  felt  himself  sinking  under  them.- 
It  must  have  been  with  no  common  delight  therefore 
that,  at  last,  he  received  an  order  brought  to  him  from 
the  king,  to  come  secretly  to  the  palace,  and  cheer  the 
monarch's  despair,  if  he  possibly  could,  by  some  words 
of  comfort  from  Jehovah.  Virtually  powerless  in  the 
hands  of  his  court,  the  phantom  ruler  dared  not  consult 
him  openly.  Weak  and  irresolute,  he  could  not  brave 
its  anger  by  acting,  even  in  so  small  a  matter,  as 
became  his  office.  Most  men,  after  such  an  imprison- 
ment, would  have  been  glad  to  give  as  favourable  an 
answer  as  they  could.  But  no  personal  consideration 
weighed  with  the  prophet.  Brought  face  to  face,  in 
some  private  chamber,  with  the  man  who  held  his  life 
or  death  in  his  hands,  he  calmly  told  him  :  "  There  is 
a  word  from  Jehovah,  for  He  has  said.  Thou,  Zedekiah, 
shalt  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the  king  of  Baby- 
lon.^'  Then,  seizing  the  opportunity  of  being  in  the 
presence,  he  went  on,  "  In  what  have  I  sinned  against 
thee,  or  against  thy  servants,  or  against  this  people, 
that  thoQ  shouldst  put  me  in  prison  ?  Where  are 
thy  prophets  who  told  thee  that  the  king  of  Babylon 
would  not  come  against  thee,  or  against  this  land? 
Bring  them  hither  that  they  may  justify  their  lying 
predictions?     Therefore   since   I,    not   they,   have   pro- 

'     ^  Captain  Warren.     Recovery  of  Jerusalem,  p.  17. 
*  Jer.  xxxvii.  20. 


94  DURING   THE    SIEGE. 

phesied  truly,  hear  me,  my  lord  king,  and  let  ray  en- 
treaty before  thee,  I  pray  thee,  be  granted ;  and  do  not 
send  me  back  to  the  house  of  Jonathan  the  scribe,  lest 
I  die  there/'  Coming  at  such  a  time,  when  the  awful 
dignity  of  his  office  surrounded  the  petitioner,  this 
request  could  not  be  refused.  Orders  were,  therefore, 
issued  to  transfer  him  from  the  dungeon  he  so  much 
feared,  to  the  court  of  the  guard  at  the  palace,  and  to 
give  him  a  piece  of  bread  each  day,  from  the  Baker's 
Street,^  as  long  as  any  was  left  in  the  city.  Fear  of  the 
nobles,  and  perhaps  of  the  people,  might  prevent  his 
being  set  free,  but  his  detention  should  henceforth  be 
at  least  less  painful  than  hitherto. 

The  comparative  liberty  of  the  prophet  brought  him, 
however,  into  fresh  danger.^  Chained,  it  may  be,  to 
the  wall  of  the  court,  he  had  free  intercourse  with  the 
soldiers  and  people,^  and  as  nothing  would  induce  him 
to  keep  silent  as  to  the  issue  of  the  siege,  his  words 
spread  far  and  near.  That  their  enemy  should  thus  be 
more  influential  than  ever,  infuriated  the  nobles  of  the 
council.^  It  was  reported  to  some  of  them,  among  others 
to  Jucal,  who  had  recently  visited  the  prophet  from  the 
king,  and  Pashur,^  the  son  of  Malchiah,  who  had  been 

^  The  bread  was  made  in  round  pieces,  about  eight  inches 
across,  and  an  inch  thick,  and  three  of  these  were  required  for  a 
meal  (Luke  xi.  5).  One  was,  therefore,  barely  enough  to  support 
life  (1  Sam.  ii.  36).  Public  bakers  are  mentioned  in  Hosea  vii. 
4,  6.  As  with  other  trades  in  the  East,  bakers  lived  in  one  street 
in  Jerusalem.  We  read  of  the  *'  Tower  of  the  Ovens,"  Neh. 
iii.  11 ;  xii.  38  (furnaces  A.V.). 

2  Jer.  xxxviii.  1-3.  s  Jqj.^  xxxviii.  1,  32  ;  viii.  12. 

*  Jer.  xxxviii.  1. 

^  Jucal  and  Pashur  were  confidential  officers  of  the  king. 
Jer.  xxi.  1 ;  xxxvii.  3.  Of  Shephatiah  we  know  nothing.  Gedaliah 
was  perhaps  a  son  of  that  Pashur  who  put  Jeremiah  in  the 
stocks.     Jer.  xx.  1,  2. 


DURING   THE    SIEGE.  95 

one  of  the  first  deputation  to  him  from  Zedekiah/  that 
he  had  said,  "  Tlius  saith  Jehovah,  He  who  remains  in 
this  town  will  die  by  the  sword,  the  famine,  and  the 
pestilence;  but  he  that  goes  out  to  the  Chaldeans  shall 
live ;  he  will  have  his  life  for  his  share  of  the  spoil, 
and  shall  not  die.  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  This  town  shall, 
assuredly,  be  given  into  the  hand  of  the  army  of  the  king 
of  BabyloD,  and  will  be  taken  by  them/' 

The  resolution  of  the  council  was  speedily  formed.^ 
Going  to  the  king,  they  demanded  that  the  prophet  should 
be  put  to  death,  since  his  words  were  dispiriting  the 
fighting  men  left  in  the  town,  and  the  people  at  large. 
He  was  a  traitor,  they  maintained,  seeking  the  hurt  of 
the  city.  Zedekiah  might  have  reminded  them  that  no 
blame  could  attach  to  the  prophet,  since  he  only  repeated 
words  put  in  his  mouth  by  God  Himself ;  words  which 
he  was  bound  to  deliver.  But  to  play  the  man  was 
beyond  him.  Cowed  by  their  bearing,  he  at  once  gave 
way,  telling  them  that  Jeremiah  was  in  their  hands,  since 
they  ruled,  not  he.  Thus  authorized,  they  ordered  their 
victim  to  be  seized  forthwith  and  put  into  the  underground 
rain-cistern  of  Malchiah,  a  member  of  the  royal  family, 
in  the  court  of  the  guard,  where  he  then  was.  Tying 
cords  round  him,  therefore,  he  was  let  down,  through 
the  funnel-shaped  mouth,^  into  this  hideous  dungeon. 
Fortunately,  there  was  no  water  in  it ;  but  the  bottom 
was  covered  with  deep  mud,  into  which  the  prophet 
sank.  It  was  clear  that  his  life  was  to  be  taken,  with 
every  aggravation  of  previous  misery ;  for  the  cold  and 
wet  must  soon  have  killed  him,  had  not  help  been  at 
hand. 

Among  the  officials  *  of  the  palace  was  a  eunuch  from  the 

*  Jer.  xxi.  1.  •  Jer.  xxxviii.  5,  6. 

»  See  vol.  i.  p.  449;  vol.  iii.  p.  303.         *  Jer.  xxxviii.  7-13. 


96  DURING    THE    SIEGE. 

heart  of  Africa/  apparently  the  keeper  of  the  royal  harem, 
whose  title  only — Ebed  Melech,  ''the  king's  slave/' 
— has  been  preserved.  News  of  the  prophet's  treatment 
having  reached  him,  he  hurried  to  Zedekiah,  who,  at  the 
moment,  was  engaged  on  some  public  duty  in  the  vacant 
space  inside  the  North  or  Benjamin  Gate,  and  told  him 
what  had  happened,  boldly  denouncing  it,  and  adding 
that  the  sufferer  would  die  of  hunger  in  the  cistern,  since 
there  was  now  no  more  bread  in  the  town.  "  Take 
thirty  men  with  you,''  replied  the  king,  with  unwonted 
decision,  ''  to  guard  you  in  the  task,  and  get  him  out  of 
the  cistern  before  he  die.''  As  quickly  as  possible  the 
kindly  eunuch  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  loathsome  prison, 
to  cheer  the  prophet  by  announcing  his  deliverance. 
Ropes  passed  down,  with  rags  to  put  under  the  armpits, 
to  prevent  the  strain  from  chafing  them,  soon  did  the 
rest,  and  Jeremiah  once  more  saw  the  light  and  took  his 
old  place  in  the  court  of  the  guard.  The  spasmodic 
vigour  of  Zedekiah  in  this  incident  was  touching.  The 
want  of  moral  courage  alone,  had,  apparently,  brought 
him  into  all  his  trouble.  Baulked  and  overridden  by 
the  Egyptian  party,  he  had  wanted  strength  of  mind 
to  turn  against  them  and  free  himself.  He  had  sub- 
mitted to  break  his  oath  to  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  make 
an  alliance  with  Egypt,  against  his  own  convictions,  and 
he  could  not  act  decisively  even  now,  though  his  life  was 
in  the  balance.  Jeremiah  saw  his  position  exactly.  A 
mere  puppet  in  the  hands  of  his  council,  he  had  only  to 
flee  to  the  Chaldean  camp,  and  tell  the  truth,  and  it  would 
be  recognised,  to  his  personal  acquittal.  The  guilt  of 
the  revolt  would  at  once  be  shifted  to  the  right  shoulders, 
those  of  the  imperious  Egyptian  faction,  who  now  in 
effect  reigned.  Zedekiah,  unlike  them,  respected  Jeremiah 
*  Negro  eunuchs  are  still  very  common  in  the  East. 


DURING    THE    SIEGE.  97 

as  a  true  prophet,  and  was  not  without  reverence  towards 
Jehovah.  But  he  had  no  force  of  character.  Eager  to 
consult  the  prophet,  he  had  not  courage  to  act  on  his 
advice  when  given.     A  proof  of  this  was  soon  shown.  ^ 

With  a  town  now  reduced  to  famine  and  even  cannibal- 
ism,2  and  decimated  by  the  plague ;  the  houses  full  of 
the  sick  and  wounded ;  bloody  fights  between  contending 
parties,  as  to  surrendering  or  holding  out,  crowding  the 
streets  with  fresh  horrors ;  the  roar  of  the  siege  night 
and  day  filling  the  air ;  Zedekiah  was  fain  once  more  to 
seek  the  prophet  as  one  whom  he  held  to  be  in  special 
relations  to  Jehovah.  But  he  could  only  venture  to  see 
him  privately.^  A  covered  passage  leading  from  the 
palace  to  the  temple*  afforded  the  opportunity,  and 
thither,  where  no  one  could  witness  the  interview,  the  pro- 
phet was  brought.  Stout-hearted  in  words,  Zedekiah,  now 
while  no  one  saw  or  heard,  would  have  nothing  hidden 
from  him.  Jeremiah  might  speak  out  fearlessly  the 
whole  truth.  But  the  terrors  of  the  recent  past,  and  his 
knowledge  of  the  king^s  fickleness  and  effeminacy,  had 
made  him  also  cautious.  "  If  I  tell  you  all  that  God  has 
said,  will  you  not  kill  me  ?  '^  replied  he.  "  And  is  it  not  the 
case,  that  even  if  I  do  counsel  you,  you  will  not  hear 
me  ?  ''  But  Zedekiah,  in  mortal  anxiety,  was  ready  to 
give  any  assurances.  He  swore,  "  by  the  life  of  Jehovah, 
who  created  our  life  in  us,''  that  he  would  neither  him- 
self kill  him,  nor  deliver  him  up  to  the  men  who  sought 
his  life.  Thus  assured.  Jeremiah  repeated  what  he  had 
so  often  said,  that  if  Zedekiah  gave  himself  up  to  the 
Chaldeans,  he  would  save  his  life,  and  that  of  his  house, 
and  Jerusalem  would  not  be  burned ;  while,  if  he  did  not, 

1  Jer.  xxxviii.  14-19.       ^  Lam.  iv.  10.         ^  j^j.  xxxvii.  17. 
^  The  "  third  entry"  (Jer.  xxxviii.  14)  seems  to  have  been  such 
a  passage. 

VOL.  VI.  H 


98  DURING   THE    SIEGE. 

the  city  would  be  destroyed  and  he  himself  would  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  He  took  care,  however, 
not  to  say  that  the  ''  princes  "  who  had  stirred  up  the 
revolt  would  in  any  case  escape. 

But  the  "  I  will  and  I  will  not "  of  moral  weakness 
held  the  doomed  man  like  a  spell. ^  He  was  afraid,  he 
said,  that  the  Chaldeans  would  hand  him  over  to  the 
Jewish  deserters  in  their  camp,  and  that  these  would 
maltreat  him.  ''They  will  not  deliver  you  up  to  them,^' 
replied  Jeremiah.  "  Obey,  I  beseech  you,  the  voice  of 
Jehovah,  which  I  speak  to  you,  and  it  will  be  well  with 
you,  and  your  soul  will  live.  But  if  you  refuse  to  go 
out  of  Jerusalem  and  give  yourself  up  to  the  Chaldeans 
— this  is  the  word  that  Jehovah  has  revealed  to  me. 
Behold,  all  the  women  of  the  harem  that  are  left  in  your 
palace — wives,  concubines,  and  attendants  —  shall  be 
brought  out  as  prisoners  to  the  generals  ^  of  the  king  of 
Babylon,  and  they  will  mock  your  weakness,  singing — 

"  '  Your  friends,  0  king  Zedekiah,— the  court  party— have  led 

you  astray 
And  have  made  a  puppet  of  you :  ^ 

Your  feet  sank  in  the  slough  into  which  they  had  led  you, 
And  now,  instead  of  helping  you,  they  draw  back, 
And  leave  you  to  get  out  as  you  best  can.' 

"  Thus  *  they  will  bring  out  all  your  wives  and  your 
children  to  the  Chaldeans,  and  you,  yourself,  will  not 
escape  out  of  their  hands ;  you  will  be  captured  by  the 
king  of  Babylon,  and  your  refusal  to  obey  God's  voice 
will  cause  this  city  to  be  burned  with  fire.'' 

The  fate  of  the  weakling  hung  in  the  balance,^  but 
his  irresolution  and    cowardice  weighed  down  the  scale 

1  Jer.  xxxviii.  19-22.        2  Princes.        ^  Overpowered  you. 
*  Jer.  xxxviii.  23.  ^  Jer.  xxxviii.  24-28. 


DUEING   THE   SIEGE.  y^ 

against  him.  Fear  of  the  tyrannical  oligarchy  un- 
manned him.  They  must  on  no  account  know  that  he 
had  spoken  to  the  prophet ;  nothing  that  had  been  said 
between  the  two  must  be  repeated.  He  had,  moreover, 
the  meanness  to  draw  back  from  his  oath,  so  far  as  to  say 
that  it  would  be  kept  only  if  perfect  secrecy  were  main- 
tained, and  he  even  stooped  to  ask  Jeremiah  to  equivo- 
cate. Should  the  princes,  hearing  of  the  interview, 
threaten  him  with  death  if  he  did  not  tell  what  had 
passed  at  it,  he  was  to  answer,  that  he  had  asked  not 
to  be  sent  back  to  the  prison  in  Jonathan's  house.  No 
doubt  this  favour  had  been  requested,  else  Jeremiah 
would  not  have  said  so,  yet  it  was  by  no  means  the 
whole  truth.  But  Jeremiah  felt  himself  free  to  act  on 
the  king's  recommendation.  He  was  not  bound  to  tell 
his  mortal  enemies  everything,  and  he  did  not  do  so. 
When,  therefore,  they  came,  he  had  the  adroitness  to  put 
them  off  with  this  answer,  and  was  left  without  further 
annoyance,  a  prisoner  in  the  court  of  the  guard,  till  the 
city  was  taken. 

While  these  events  were  passing,  the  Chaldean  army 
had  returned  and  recommenced  the  siege ;  Pharaoh. 
Hophra  having  been  driven  back.^  But  though  the 
prophet  knew  that  the  city  must  fall,  he  abated  nothing 
of  his  calm  assurance  that  it  would  hereafter  rise  from 
its  ashes,  and  that  Judah  would  once  more  flourish. 
He  felt  that  his  race  was  the  chosen  people  of  God,  and 
that  the  promise  of  the  Messiah  implied  such  a  restora- 
tion. The  expected  golden  age  might,  indeed,  be  long 
delayed,  but  Jehovah  had  promised  it,  and  that  was 
enough. 

An  opportunity  for  showing  this  confidence,  so  well- 
fitted  to  cheer  true  followers  of  the  ancient  religion, 
*  Jer.  xxxii.  1-5 


100  DUEING   THE   SIEGE. 

strangely  offered  itself  while  the  immediate  prospects  of 
the  State  were  sinking  to  the  lowest. 

A  cousin  of  Jeremiah,  Hanameel/  son  of  Shallum,  the 
prophet's  uncle,  a  priest  like  himself,  had  a  plot  of 
ground  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Anathoth,^  which  he 
wished  to  sell.  Jewish  law,  however,  prohibited  free  sale, 
and  required  that  ground  in  the  market  should  be  offered 
to  the  next  of  kin,  that  it  might  still  remain  in  the 
family.^  The  lands  strictly  belonging  to  the  tribe  of 
Levi  could  not  be  sold,  as  they  were  held  in  common,* 
but  Hananeel  may  have  inherited  this  piece  through  his 
mother,^  and  having  no  children,^  may  thus  have  been 
free  to  dispose  of  it,  like  Barnabas  the  Levite,  in  later 
times.''' 

Jeremiah  being  the  next  heir,  and  as  such  holding 
also  the  right  of  redemption  in  the  Jubilee  year,^  had 
the  ground  from  any  cause  been  sold  to  a  third  party, 
Hanameel  naturally  came  to  him,  to  offer  him  the  option 
of  purchase.  We  do  not  know  why  he  wished  to  sell, 
but  the  darkness  of  the  times  was  reason  enough.  His 
proposal  was  at  once  recognised  by  the  prophet  as  in 
accordance  with  a  Divine  pre-intimation  received  before- 
hand, and  a  bargain  was  forthwith  struck.  The  price 
was  small  according  to  our  notions — only  seventeen 
shekels^ — about   two   guineas — but   the   peculiarities  of 

1  Jer.  xxxii.  6-15. 

2  It  must  have  been  within  2,000  cubits  of  the  village.  Num. 
XXXV.  6. 

3  Lev.  XXV.  24,  25 ;  Enth  iv.  6.    Keil,  Bih.  Archceol,  p.  208. 

4  Lev.  XXV.  34.     See  Grotii,  Annot.  on  Jos.,  24,  33. 

5  Num.  xxvi.  8.  ^  This  is  implied. 
7  Acts  iv.  37.                              «  Lev.  xxv.  23-28. 

3  In  the  margin  the  Heb.  is  correctly  translated  "  seven  shekels 
and  ten  pieces  of  silver,"  a  form  of  expression  which  has  led  to 
the  idea  that  the  seven  shekels  were  golden.    This,  however,  is  a 


DURING   THE    SIEGE.  101 

the  Jewish  land  laws,  and  possibly  the  pressure  of  the 
times,  may  have  affected  its  value.  Two  copies  of  a 
deed  were  duly  written,  and  witnesses  having  been 
called,  the  money  was  weighed  out  in  the  scales,  as  is 
still  the  custom  in  the  East.  One  deed  having  been  left  ^ 
open  for  reference,  and  the  other  carefully  sealed  up, 
both  were  handed  to  Baruch,  the  constant  friend  of  the 
prophet,  before  Hanameel  and  the  witnesses  who  had 
signed  the  documents,  and  of  all  the  Jews  who  sat  as 
prisoners  in  the  court  of  the  guard,  with  the  request 
that  they  should  be  put  into  an  earthen  vessel  for  pre- 
servation, for  "  houses  and  lands  and  vineyards  shall  one 
day  be  again  bought  in  the  land.'^  Jehovah  had  said  it. 
The  whole  transaction  was  striking,  at  such  a  time.  We 
extol  the  patriotism  of  the  Roman,  who  bought  at  its  full 
price  the  land  on  which  HannibaFs  camp  was  pitched, 
outside  the  gates  of  Rome,^  but  it  was  even  nobler,  in  the 
son  of  a  feeble  race  like  the  Jews,  to  buy  a  field  at  the 
moment  in  the  hands  of  a  mighty  power  like  Babylon, 
knowing,  as  he  did,  that  before  the  purchase  could  be 
of  value,  his  people  must  expiate  their  sins  by  captivity 
for  two  generations  in  a  far  distant  land. 

That  he  should  have  acted  thus  derives  an  additional 
moral  grandeur,  as  an  act  of  passive  obedience  to  Divine 
command,  in  the  face  of  overwhelming  perplexity  as  to 
the  possible  realization  of  the  hopes  it  implied.  Jeremiah 
knew  that  Jerusalem  would  hereafter  rise  from  its  ashes, 

mere  conjecture.  We  do  not  know  the  size  of  the  piece  of 
ground,  which  may  have  been  very  small,  and  it  is  to  be  re- 
membered that  the  purchase  was,  in  reality,  only  that  of  its  crops, 
till  the  next  year  of  Jubilee,  which  may  have  been  not  far  off. 
Besides,  silver  was  very  much  more  valuable  then  than  now, 
Araunah's  floor  was  bought  for  50  shekels.  2  Sam.  xxiv.  24. 
^  Liv.,  xxvi.  11.     Florus,  ii.  6. 


102  BUEING    THE    SIEGE. 

and  Judah  again  be  peopled,  because  God  had  said  it ; 
but  to  reconcile  this  with  the  further  knowledge  that  the 
city,  and  even  the  temple,  would,  within  a  short  time,  be 
burned  to  the  ground,  and  the  population  of  the  whole 
land  be  carried  off  to  Babylon,  was  beyond  his  powers. 
Under  such  circumstances  he  betook  himself,  as  godly 
men  have  done  in  all  ages,  to  Him  who  alone  could  make 
darkness  light.  Prayer,  to  him,  as  to  us,  was  the  natural 
language  of  the  earthly  child  to  his  Heavenly  Father. 

When,  therefore,  he  had  delivered  to  Baruch  the  two 
title-deeds,  he  sought  relief  to  his  soul  in  its  difficulties 
by  asking  light  from  God.^  Bowing  low,  it  may  be 
before  all,  in  the  court  of  the  guard,  fettered  as  he  was, 
he  breathed  out  to  Jehovah  the  deep  cry  of  his  heart ; 
speaking,  we  may  fancy,  like  Hannah,  in  his  soul  only; 
the  lips  moving,  but  no  audible  words  escaping  them. 

17  O  Thou,  Lord  Jehovah  I^  Behold,  Thou  hast  made  heaven 
and  earth  by  Thy  great  power  and  Thine  outstretched  arm ; 
nothing  is  too  hard  for  Thee!  18  Thou  showest  loving  kindness 
to  thousands,  and  payest  back  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  into  the 
bosom  of  their  children  after  them  :  ^  19  Thou  great  and  mighty 
God,  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  Thy  name.  Great  in  counsel,  and 
mighty  in  deeds ;  whose  eyes  are  open  upon  all  the  ways  of  the 
sons  of  men,  to  give  every  one  according  to  his  ways  and  accord- 
ing to  the  fruit  of  his  doings  !  20  Thou  didst  signs  and  wonders 
in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  doest  them  even  to  this  day,  both  in 
Israel  and  to  men  at  large,  and  hast  made  Thyself,  even  now,  a 
name  !  21  And  Thou  leddest  forth  Thy  people  Israel  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt  with  signs  and  wonders,  and  a  strong  hand,  and  a 
stretched  out  arm,  and  with  great  terror  to  their  enemies  ;  22  and 


1  Jar.  xxxii.  7-16.  2  jer.  xxxii.  17-25. 

3  The  language  is  borrowed  from  the  custom  of  pouring  grain 
or  the  like  into  the  lifted  up  fold  of  the  outer  garment,  which  is 
made,  as  it  were,  into  a  bag  for  the  time.  Euth  iii.  15.  Prov. 
xvii.  23.    Num.  xi.  12.    Isa.  xl.  11 ;  Ixv.  6,  7.    Luke  vi.  38. 


DURING   THE    SIEGE.  103 

gavost  them  this  land,  which  Thou  hadst  sworn  to  their  fathers 
to  give  them — a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  23  And  they 
came  in,  and  took  possession  of  it ;  but  they  obeyed  not  Thy  voice, 
neither  walked  in  Thy  law :  ^  they  have  done  nothing  of  all  that 
Thou  commandest  them  to  do — therefore  Thou  hast  let  all  this 
evil  come  upon  them. 

24  Behold !  the  mounds  ^  of  the  enemy  reach  to  the  town,  to 
take  it ;  the  city  is  given,  by  sword,  famine,  and  pestilence,  into  the 
hands  of  the  Chaldeans  who  besiege  it,  and  what  Thou  hast  .said  is 
come  to  pass  :  Thou,  Thyself,  seest  it !  25  Yet  Thou  hast  said,  to 
me,  O  Lord  Jehovah,  Buy  the  field  for  money,  and  take  witnesses 
to  the  purchase — though  the  city  is  already,  as  it  were,  given 
into  the  hands  of  the  Chaldeans. 

A  prayer  so  lowly  and  fervent  had  favour  with  God. 
The  still  small  voice  of  the  Almighty  presently  answered 
it  in  the  soul  of  the  prophet. 

27  Behold,  I  am  Jehovah,^  the  God  of  all  flesh :  is  there  any- 
thing impossible  to  Me  ?  28  Therefore,  thus  saith  Jehovah,  Behold 
I  will  give  this  city  into  the  hand  of  the  Chaldeans,  and  into  the 
hand  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  and  he  shall  take  it. 
29  The  Chaldeans  who  fight  against  it  shall  come  in,  and  set  fire 
to  it,  and  burn  it,  and  with  it  the  houses  on  whose  roofs  they 
burned  incense  to  Baal,  and  poured  out  drink  offerings  to  other 
gods,  to  provoke  Me  to  anger.  30  For  the  sons  of  Israel  and  the 
sons  of  Judah  have  done  only  evil  before  Me  from  their  youth  as  a 
people.    For  the  sons  of  Israel,  as  a  whole,  have  done  nothing  but 

1  Torah. 

*  The  first  step  in  a  siege  was  probably  to  advance  the  battering 
ram.  If  the  castle  was  built,  as  in  the  plains  of  Assyria  and 
Babylonia,  on  an  artificial  eminence,  an  inclined  plane  reaching 
to  the  top  of  the  height  was  formed  of  earth,  stones,  or  trees,  and 
the  besiegers  were  thus  able  to  bring  their  engines  to  the  foot  of 
the  walls,  and  also  to  escalade  the  walls,  the  top  of  which  might 
otherwise  have  been  beyond  the  reach  of  their  ladders.  Layard's 
Nineveh,  vol.  ii.  pp.  36-7.  See  Isa.  xxxvii.  33  ;  2  Kings  xix.  32. 
The  Egyptians  followed  the  same  plan.     Ezek.  xvii.  17. 

3  Jer.  xxxii.  26-35. 


104  DUEING   THE    SIEGE. 

provoke  Me  with  the  work  of  their  hands,^  saith  Jehovah.  31  This 
city,  Jerusalem,  also,  has  been  to  Me  a  provocation  ^  of  My  anger 
and  of  My  fury,  from  the  day  that  they  built  it^  to  this  day — 
demanding  that  I  should  put  it  away  from  before  My  face  32  on 
account  of  all  the  evil  of  the  sons  of  Israel  and  of  the  sons  of 
Judah,  which  they  have  done  to  provoke  Me  to  anger ;  they,  their 
kings,  their  princes,'*  their  priests,  and  their  prophets ;  the  men 
of  Judah  and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem.  33  They  turned  their 
back  to  Me  and  not  their  face,  and  though  I  earnestly  and  un- 
weariedly  taught  them  through  My  true  prophets,  they  would 
not  listen,  to  receive  instruction.  34  Instead  of  that,  they  set  up 
their  abominable  idols  in  the  House  which  is  called  by  My  name, 
to  defile  it,  35  and  built  high  places  to  Baal  in  the  Valley  of 
Benhinnom,  to  cause  their  sons  and  their  daughters  to  pass 
through  the  fire  to  Moloch — which  I  neither  commanded  them  to 
do  nor  ever  had  it  in  my  mind  to  permit  their  doing ;  causing 
Judah,  as  it  did,  to  sin. 

36  Now,  therefore,  ^  thus  saith  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  con- 
cerning this  city,  of  which  you  rightly  say  that  *'  it  will  be  de- 
livered into  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  by  sword,  famine, 
and  pestilence,"  37  Behold !  I  will,  hereafter,  gather  them  from  all 
lands  whither  I  have  driven  them,  in  My  anger  and  in  My  fury 
and  in  My  fierce  wratli.  And  I  will  bring  them  back  to  this 
place,  and  cause  them  to  dwell  securely  in  it,  s^  and  they  shall  be 
My  people,  and  I  will  be  their  God.  39  And  1  will  give  them  one 
heart  and  one  way,  so  that  they  shall  fear  Me  for  ever,  ^  for  their 
own  good  and  that  of  their  children  after  them.  40  And  I  will 
make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them,  that  I  will  not  draw 
back  from  them,  or  from  doing  them  good ;  and  I  will  put  My 
■fear  in  their  hearts,  so  that  they  may  not  again  turn  away  from 
Me  as  in  the  past.  And  I  will  rejoice  over  them  to  do  them  good, 
and  I  will  assuredly  ^  plant  them  in  this  land,  with  My  whole 
heart,  and  with  My  whole  soul. 

42  For  thus  saith  Jehovah :  ^  As  I  have  brought  all  this  great 

1  Their  idols.     Chap.  x.  3,  9.    Deut.  iv.  28.     2  Kings  xix.  18. 

2  A  burden  on  My  auger,  demanding  indignation  being  shown. 

3  2  Sam.  V.  6,  7.  *  Leading  men. 

5  Jer.  xxxii.  36^1.  «  Deut.  iv.  10;  vi.  24. 

7  Heb„  in  truth.  ^  Jer.  xxxii.  42-44. 


DWRINQ   THE    SIEGE.  105 

evil  on  this  people,  so  will  I  bring  to  them  all  the  good  that  I 
have  promised  them.  43  And  the  open  country  shall  be  bought 
in  this  land,  respecting  which  ye  say,  "  It  is  desolate,  without 
man  or  beast ;  it  is  given  into  the  hands  of  the  Chaldeans." 
44  Men  will  once  more  buy  fields  *  for  money,  and  sign  deeds, 
and  seal  them,  and  call  witnesses  to  the  purchase — here,  in  the 
land  of  Benjamin,  and  round  about  Jerusalem,  and  in  the  towns 
of  Judah,  and  in  the  towns  in  the  hills,  and  in  those  of  the 
Shephelah,  and  in  the  towns  of  the  Negeb.  For  I  will  put  an 
end  to  their  captivity,  and  restore  them  to  their  own  country, 
saith  Jehovah. 

But  the  "  Hearer  of  Prayer  '^  was  not  content  even 
■with  this  fall  answer  to  His  servant's  petition.  Not  long 
afterwards,  amidst  the  terrible  progress  of  the  siege, 
when  many  houses  near  the  walls  had  been  pulled  down 
for  materials  of  defence,  and  the  prophet  was  still  a 
prisoner  in  the  court  of  the  guard,  "  the  Word  ^'  came 
to  him  a  second  time. 

2  Thus  saith  Jehovah,^  who  does  what  He  hath  purposed;  Jeho- 
vah who  determines  what  He  wills,  and  carries  it  out ;  Jehovah 
is  His  name  !  3  Call  upon  Me  and  I  will  answer  thee,  and  make 
known  to  thee  great  and  secret  things  ^  which  thou  dost  not  know  ! 

4  For  thus  says  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  concerning  the  houses 
of  this  city,  Jerusalem,  and  concerning  the  houses  of  the  kings 
of  Judah,  which  have  been  pulled  down  for  material  with  which 
to  strengthen  the  town  wall  against  the  battering-rams,"*  and  to 
build  up  new  defences  against  the  swords  of  the  storming  columns : 

5  The  citizens  will  advance  to  fight  with  the  Chaldeans  ;  but  they 
will  only  fill  the  houses  with  the  bodies  of  men,  whom  I  have 
slain  in  My  anger  and  in  My  fury,  and  for  all  whose  wickedness 
I  have  hid  My  face  from  this  city. 

But  still  God  has  not  finally  cast  off  His  people. 

6  Behold,^  I  will  lay  on  the  wounds  of  the  people  a  bandage  and 

^  Lit.,  "  the  field,"  i.e.  land  over  the  country. 

2  Jar.  xxxiii.  1-5.  3  l^^^  <«  unapproachable," 

<  Lit.,  •'  mounts."  «  Jer.  xxxiii.  6-9. 


106  DUEING   THE    SIEGE. 

healing  salve,  and  will  cure  them,  and  I  will  pour  down  *  on  them 
a  fulness  of  peace  and  truth.  7  And  I  will  bring  back  the  captives 
of  Judah  and  Israel,  and  will  build  up  the  state,  as  of  old.  8  And  I 
will  cleanse  them  from  all  their  iniquity  that  they  have  sinned 
against  Me,  and  I  will  pardon  all  their  sins  that  they  have  com- 
mitted, and  in  which  they  have  fallen  away  from  Me.  9  And 
Jerusalem  shall,  again,  be  to  Me  a  name  of  joy,  a  praise  and  an 
honour  before  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  who  shall  hear  all  the 
good  that  I  do  to  it;  and  they  shall  fear  and  tremble ^  with  awe, 
at  all  the  goodness  and  all  the  prosperity  that  I  prepare  for  it. 

10  Thus  saith  Jehovah,'  There  shall  again  be  heard  in  this  place, 
of  which  you  say,  "  It  is  desolate,  without  man  and  without 
beast"— in  the  cities  of  Judah  and  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem 
that  are  about  to  be  left  desolate,  without  men  and  without  in- 
habitants, and  without  beast,  1 1  the  sounds  of  joy  and  gladness ; 
the  voice  of  the  bridegroom  and  of  the  bride,**  and  the  words  of 
singing:— 

"  Give  thanks  unto  Jehovah  of  Hosts ;  for  Jehovah  is  good. 
For  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever ! " 

the  chant  of  them  that  bring  the  thankoffering  into  the  House  of 
Jehovah !  For  I  will  bring  back  the  captives,  and  restore  things 
as  in  your  happiest  times,  saith  Jehovah. 

12  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  ^  Again,  in  this  place  which  is 
about  to  be  desolate,  without  man  and  without  beast,  and  in  all 
the  towns  of  Judah,  shall  be  a  gathering  place  of  shepherds,  lead- 
ing their  sheep  to  rest.  13  In  the  hill  towns,  in  the  towns  of  the 
Shephelah,  and  in  those  of  the  Negeb,  in  the  land  of  Benjamin 

»  "  Roll  down."  2  «  A  fearful  joy." 

3  Jar.  xxxiii.  10-11. 

*  A  sound  of  music,  shrill  and  sharp,  announces  the  approach 
of  a  nuptial  procession.  In  front,  march  the  players  on  fifes  and 
tambourines,  and  next  two  lines  of  women  and  girls,  in  the  middle 
of  whom  is  the  bride,  walking  between  two  elder  women.  Four 
men  hold  over  her  head  a  dais  of  pink  gauze,  and  a  woman  waves 
before  her  a  large  feather  fan.  She  is  entirely  covered  with  a 
veil,  and  has  on  her  head  a  red  cloth,  surmounted  with  a  coronet 
of  gold.  The  whole  party  utter  cries  of  joy.  Bovet's  Egypt,  etc., 
p.  43.  5  jer.  xxxiii.  12-14. 


DURING   THE    SIEGE.  107 

and  in  the  parts  round  Jerusalem,  and  in  the  town  of  Judah,  the 
sheep  will  again  pass  under  the  rod  ^  of  him  that  counts  thera, 
saith  Jehovah.  14  Behold  the  days  come,  saith  Jehovah,  when  I 
will  perform  that  good  word  which  I  have  spoken  concerning 
the  House  of  Israel  and  the  House  of  Judah  ! 

In  those  days  of  the  Messiah  the  kingly  and  priestly 
offices  will  be  restored. 

15  In  those  days"^  and  at  that  time,  saith  Jehovah,  I  will  cause 
a  Branch  ^  of  Righteousness  to  grow  up  from  David,^  and  He  will 
execute  justice  and  righteousness  in  the  land.  16  In  those  days 
Judah  will  be  saved,  and  Jerusalem  will  dwell  securely  ;  and  for 
this  men  will  call  Him,  Jehovah  our  Righteousness. 

17  For  thus  saith  Jehovah :'"  David  shall  never  want  a  man  to  sit 
upon  the  throne  of  the  House  of  Israel.  18  Nor  shall  the  priests, 
the  Levites,  ever  want  a  man  before  Me,  to  ofler  burnt  offerings, 
to  kindle  the  fire  on  the  altar  for  flour  offerings,  and  to  burn 
sacrifices  to  Me,  for  ever. 

This  covenant  with  David,  and  with  the  priests,  would 
be  as  sure  as  the  order  of  nature. 

20  Thus  saith  Jehovah :  ^  If  ye  can  break  My  covenant  with  the 
day  and  with  the  night,  so  that  there  shall  be  no  longer  day  or 
night  in  its  season,  21  then  may,  also.  My  covenant  with  David  My 
servant  be  broken,  that  he  should  not  have  a  son  to  reign  upon 
his  throne ;  and  My  covenant  with  the  Levites,  the  priests,  My 
ministers !  22  As  the  hosts  of  heaven  cannot  be  numbered,  nor 
the  sand  of  the  sea  measured,  so  will  I  multiply  the  seed  of  David 
My  servant,  and  of  the  Levites,  who  minister  to  me. 

The  glorious  assurance  thus  given  respecting  the 
throne  and  the  altar,  is  next  extended  to  the  people  as 
a  whole. 

»  Lit.,  "  hands."  s  jer.  xxxiii.  15,16. 

^  Lit.,  "  a  shoot,  or  sucker." 

^  Of  David's  race,  from  his  root  or  stock.  Verses  15  and  16  are 
the  same  as  Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6. 

5  Jer.  xxxiii.  17, 18.  «  Jer.  xxxiii.  19-22. 


108  DUEING   THE    SIEGE. 

24  Have  you  not  seen  what  the  people  say  ^ — "  The  two  families, 
Judah  and  Israel,  whom  Jehovah  chose,  He  has  cast  oflP."  With, 
such  words  they  dishonour  My  people,  declaring  that  it  is  no  longer 
a  nation  in  their  eyes.  25  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  If  I  have  not  estab- 
lished My  covenant  with  day  and  night,  or  ordained  the  ordi- 
nances of  heaven  and  earth,  26  then  will  I  also  cast  off  the  seed  of 
Jacob,  and  of  David  My  servant,  and  take  no  more  rulers  from 
his  seed,  to  be  over  the  seed  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob !  Bub 
I  will  cause  the  captives  to  return  and  will  have  mercy  upon 
them ! 

Thus  darkly,  in  a  Jewish  dress,  which  alone,  for  cen- 
turies to  come,  could  in  any  measure  be  intelligible  to 
those  who  would  ponder  his  words,  did  Jeremiah  foretell 
the  spiritual  reign  of  the  Messiah.  Veiled  in  the  imagery 
of  the  existing  economy,  their  supreme  significance  must 
have  been  as  mysterious  to  the  prophet  as  to  others. 
He  had  been  directed  to  say,  at  former  times,  that 
the  king  and  the  priest  would  both  perish  from  Israel,^ 
and  yet  the  Divine  Voice  now  announces,  through 
him,  that  both  will  endure  for  ever.  To  passages  like 
this,  above  all,  St.  Peter  must  have  referred  when  he 
spoke  of  the  earnest  search  and  inquiry  of  the  holy  men 
of  old,  as  to  the  full  meaning  of  the  oracles  which  they 
uttered  through  the  Spirit  of  God. 

1  Jer.  xxxiii.  23-26. 

2  Jer.  xxii.  30;  xxx.  21;  iii.  16;  xxxi.  33. 


Note  to  p.  101. — "  It  would  seem  from  Jer.  xxxii.  10, 11,  that 
clay  came  to  be  used  in  Judah  as  a  writing  material,  as  at 
Nineveh  and  Babylon— the  inner  clay  record  of  a  contract  being 
covered  with  an  outer  coating  —  on  which  was  inscribed  an 
abstract  of  its  contents,  together  with  the  names  of  the  witnesses. 
Jeremiah's  deed  of  purchase,  moreover,  was  preserved  in  a  jar, 
like  the  numerous  clay  deeds  of  the  Egibi  banking-firm,  which 
existed  at  Babylon  from  the  age  of  Nebuchadnezzar  to  that  of 
Xerxes.  These  jars  served  the  purpose  of  our  modern  safes." — 
Sayce's  Fresh  Lights,  etc.,  p.  105. 


CHAPTER  YI. 

THE    FALL    OP   JERUSALEM. 

The  siege  of  Jerusalem  had  begun  on  the  10th  of  the 
month  Kislew,  nearly  our  December,  in  the  year  B.C. 
591,  but  had  been  interrupted  for  two  or  three  months 
by  the  departure  of  the  Chaldeans,  to  repel  the  advance 
of  Pharaoh  Hophra.  This  effected,  the  struggle  had  re- 
commenced with  more  fury  than  ever.  But  the  Jews,  like 
all  Orientals,  were  stubborn  in  their  resistance  behind 
the  walls  of  a  fortress,  and  held  out  bravely  against  the 
tremendous  superiority  of  their  assailants.  Nothing 
could  subdue  their  courage.  They  had  trusted  in 
Hophra  relieving  them,  but  fought  none  the  less  man- 
fully when  they  found  their  expectations  deceived. 
Jeremiah,  a  prisoner  in  the  court  of  the  guard,  in  vain 
counselled  surrender,  as  the  only  means  of  preserving 
the  city,  or  the  lives  and  liberties  of  its  citizens.  He 
was  assailed  by  charges  of  treachery,  and  by  threats  for 
damping  the  spirits  of  the  population.  That  a  place, 
in  all  probability,  of  not  more  than  20,000^  inhabitants 
should  have  kept  at  bay  the  whole  strength  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar for  nearly  eighteen  months,  shows  a  noble 
defence,  even  admitting  the  natural  strength  of  the  posi- 

*  This  is  the  estimate  of  Thenius,  B.  d.  Konige,  p.  466. 

109 


110 


THE    FALL   OP   JERUSALEM. 


tion.  Two  thousand  citizens  of  the  best  families,  it  is  to 
be  remembered,  and  a  thousand  skilled  mechanics,  with 
seven  thousand  of  the  bravest  fighting  men,  had  been 
carried  off  to  Babylon  ten  years  before.^  But  the  fall 
of  the  city  was  only  a  question  of  time.  The  besiegers 
had  invested  it  on  every  side,  so  that  no  provisions 
could  enter,  and  they  had  possession  of  the  whole  country, 
far  and  near.  Lachish  and  Azekah,  in  the  Maritime 
Plain,  had  succumbed,  and  3,023  persons  of  both  sexes 
had  been  seized  and  led  off  to  Babylon.^      The  thud 


Siege  op  a  City  by  the  Assykian  Aemy. 

On  the  left,  soldiers  in  mail  are  throwing  down  the  wall  with  crowbars.  On  an 
upper  tower  are  women ;  one  apparently  wailing,  the  other  encouraging  the 
defenders.  On  the  right  is  a  battering  ram  with  a  tower  over  it,  from  which  the 
Assyrians  in  armour  shoot  from  the  level  of  the  top  of  the  wall.  The  garrison  are 
throwing  over  stones,  etc.,  on  soldiers  who  are  guiding  the  ram.  Archers  kneel  on 
the  ground  at  the  side  of  the  battering  ram.  The  general  and  his  attendant,  drawn 
in  large  size,  are  on  the  right;  the  attendant  holding  a  shield  before  his  master. 

of  the  battering  rams  shook  the  walls  day  and  night: 
archers  made  the  defence  increasingly  hard,  by  con- 
stant showers  of  arrows  from  high  wooden  forts ;  cata- 
pults of  all  sizes  hurled  stones  into  the  town  with  a  force 
as  deadly  as  that  of  modern  bullets,  and  darts  tipped 

^  2  Kings  xxiv.  14-16. 

'  Jer.  lii.  28,  for  seventh  year  read  seventeenth. 


THE   PALL   OP  JERUSALEM.  Ill 

with  fire  kindled  the  roofs  of  houses  ;  mines  were  dug 
under  the  walls,  and  attempts  at  escalade  by  ladders 
were  renewed  at  every  favourable  opportunity. 

But  the  besieged  were  not  behind  in  their  resources 
of  defence.  Houses  were  demolished,  that  new  walls 
might  be  built  of  their  materials,  inside  each  spot 
weakened  by  the  battering  rams.^  The  ramparts  were 
vigorously  defended  by  archers  and  slingers,  equal  in 
bravery  to  those  of  the  Chaldeans.  The  rams  were 
caught,  when  possible,  by  doubled  chains  or  ropes,  to 
weaken  their  blows,  or,  if  it  might  be,  to  capsize  them. 
Lighted  torches  and  firebrands  were  thrown  on  their 
roofs,  and  on  those  of  the  catapults,  to  set  them  on  fire. 
The  gates  of  the  town  were  zealously  defended  against 
the  efforts  of  the  enemy  to  burst  them  open,  or  to  burn 
them.2  Nothing,  however,  could  prevent  the  final  cata- 
strophe. Famine  within  the  walls  aided  the  besiegers 
without,  and  it  was  speedily  followed,  as  is  always  the 
case,  with  an  outbreak  of  pestilence.  Food  was  well 
nigh  gone.  There  had  long  been  no  bread. ^  Mothers 
were,  at  last,  driven  to  murder  and  eat  their  children.* 
The  richest  citizens  wandered  about  searching  for  scraps 
in  the  dunghills.  Effeminate  nobles,  whose  fairness  and 
personal  beauty  had  been  their  pride,  were  reduced  to 
black-faced  ghosts  by  hunger.  To  make  matters  worse, 
feuds  broke  out  in  the  city.  Some  were  for  surrender, 
others  for  holding  out  to  the  last,  and  every  street  be- 
came a  battle  field. ^ 

Yet,  amidst  the  roar  of  war,  the  wail   of  mourners, 

*  Jer.  xxxiii.  4. 

2  For  this  description  of  a  Chaldean  siege,  see  Layard's 
Nineveh,  vol.  ii.  pp.  367  ff. 

3  Jer.  xxxvii.  21;  xxxviii.  9;  lii.  6.     Ezek.  v.  10. 

*  Baruch  ii.  3.    Lam.  iv.  10.  *  Lam.  iv.  12-15. 


112  THE    PALL    OP   JERUSALEM. 

the  shrieks  of  the  wounded  and  the  despairing,  and  the 
tumult  of  intestine  strife,  Jeremiah  never  lost  his  self- 
possession,  though  forced  to  sit  helpless  in  the  midst  of 
so  much  danger  and  privation.  His  deliverance  from  the 
cistern  prison,  in  which,  according  to  Josephus,  the  mire 
had  reached  up  to  his  neck,^  had  put  him  under  lasting 
obligation  to  the  black  eunuch  who  had  rescued  him. 
He  was,  moreover,  now  free  to  move  about  in  the  court 
of  the  guard,  to  which  Ebed-melech  frequently  came,  in 
passing  out  of  the  palace,  and  he  repaid  his  kindness  by 
cheering  words,  telling  him  that  God  would  preserve  him 
amidst  all  the  dangers  around,  as  a  return  for  the  favour 
shown  to  His  servant. 

i6  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  (said  he),  Be- 
hold I  will  bring  My  words  upon  this  city  for  evil  and  not  for  good, 
and  they  shall  be  accomplished  in  that  day,  before  thee.  17  But  I 
will  save  thee,  in  that  day,  saith  Jehovah  ;  and  thou  sbalt  not  be 
given  into  the  hand  of  the  men  whom  thou  fearest.  18  For  I  will 
surely  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt  not  fall  by  the  sword,  but  thy 
life  shall  be  for  booty  to  thee,  because  thou  hast  trusted  in  Me, 
saith  Jehovah.2 

At  last  came  the  end.  The  siege  had  lasted  within 
a  day  or  two  of  eighteen  months,^  but  a  practicable 
breach  now  invited  the  stormers.  Waiting  for  the  cover 
of  darkness,  the  Chaldean  force  detached  for  this  service 
moved  out  of  their  camp  towards  midnight,  on  the  ninth 
of  the  month  Tammuz,  nearly  our  July,  and,  after  a  fierce 
struggle,  Jerusalem  was  in  their  hands.  Marching  in  by 
the  Middle  Gate  of  the  inner  wall,  dividing  Mount  Ziou 
from  the  Lower  City,  their  generals  took  up  their  quarters 
near  it,*  as  a  point  from  which  both  the  Upper  and  Lower 

1  Jos.,  A7it.,  X.  vii.  4.  -  Jer.  xxxix.  15-18. 

^  Jer.  lii.  4.     Comp.  with  Jer.  xxxix.  1 ;  lii.  6. 
*  Jer.  xxxix.  3. 


THE    FALL    OP   JERUSALEM.  1]3 

City  could  be  most  easily  controlled.  The  names  and  titles 
of  some  of  them  still  survive,  the  latter,  by  their  high 
rank,  implying  a  large  force  to  have  been  engaged,  and 
thus  showing  the  desperateness  of  the  defence.  Fore- 
most, amidst  a  brilliant  cavalcade,  rode  Nergal  Sharezer 
— "  Nergal,  protect  the  king ! ''  the  name  of  a  former 
monarch  of  Babylon — Samgar-Nebo,  '^  May  Nebo  be  pro- 
pitious^'— Sarsechim,  one  of  the  two  chief  eunuchs/ — 
a  second  Nergal  Sharezer,  the  chief  of  the  royal  magi, 
or  "  deeply  learned  " — Nebuzaradan,  "  Nebo,  grant  me 
children,^'  the  commander  of  the  personal  guard^  of 
Nebuchadnezzar ;  and  Nebushartan,  "  Nebo,  deliver  me !  '^ 
the  second  chief  of  the  eunuchs.^ 

The  shout  of  the  conquerors  was  the  signal  to  Zede- 
kiah  that  all  was  lost.  Only  flight  could  save  him.  The 
breach  had  been  made  in  the  north  wall,  where  alone 
close  access  to  the  fortifications  was  possible,  and  the 
Hill  of  Zion,  on  which  the  palace  stood,  was  not  yet  in  the 
hands  of  the  Chaldeans.  The  south  gate,  close  to  the 
royal  gardens,  was  still  available.  It  lay  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  city,  between  the  inner  wall  and  that 
which  ran  across  from  the  Tyropoean  valley  to  Ophel, 
joining  that  spot  to  Mount  Zion,  and  was  known  as  the 
Horse  Gate.*  If  Zedekiah,  and  the  fugitives  who  might 
escape  with  him, — many  of  them  deeply  compromised 
in  the  revolt, — could  reach  Gilead,  they  might  be  safe. 
They  therefore  made  for  the  Arabah,^  south  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  striking  across  the  wild  stretches  of  the  wilderness 
of  Judah,  to  the  south-east.     But  flight  in  that  direction 

*  Rabsaris  means  this  also. 

2  The  guard  that  stood  before  Nebuchadnezzar.     Jer.  lii.  10. 
»  For  the  meaning  of  the  names,  see  Schrader,  Eeilinschriften, 
pp.  273-276. 

*  Keil.    Neh.  iii.  28.     Jer.  lii.  7.  »  Jer.  lii.  7.     Deut.  i.  1. 
VOL     VI.  I 


114 


THE    FALL    OF   JERUSALEM. 


proving  impossible  in  the  darkness,  they  turned  towards 
the  plain  of  the  Jordan,  north  of  their  intended  route. 
Meanwhile,  the  alarm  was  given,  that  the  king  and  a 
strong  band  of  men  had  broken  through  the  Chaldean 
outposts,  on  the  south-east  of  Jerusalem,  and  instant 
pursuit  was  ordered.  The  steep  pass  of  the  Kidron  forth- 
with swarmed  with  troops  pushing  down  towards  Jericho, 
with   only  too   fatal  haste.      Before   the  panic-stricken 


The  Asstbian  King  blinding  a  Manacled  and  Fettebed  Peisonee,  who  with 
the  two  othees  is  fubthee  secuebd  by  a  metal  eing  theough  the  lip. 

« 

fugitives  could  cross  the  Jordan,  they  were  overtaken,  and 
the  mere  approach  of  the  enemy  was  enough.  Zedekiah 
was  instantly  deserted,  and,  with  a  number  of  his  chief 
men,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  pursuers.^  His  daughters, 
who  may  not  have  been  with  him,  were,  however,  fortu^ 

>  Jer.  xxxix.  5 ;  lii.  8. 


THE    FALL    OP   JERUSALEM.  1J& 

nate  enough  to  escape,  but  only  to  fall  into  the  hands 
of  one  Ishmael,  a  member  of  the  royal  family,  soon  to 
prove  an  arch  traitor. 

Thrown  into  chains  at  once,  the  captive  king  was  led 
back  to  Jerusalem,  and  sent  on,  thence,  to  Eiblah,  ten 
days  journey  to  the  north — for  it  stood  about  thirty- 
five  miles  north  of  Baalbek.  There,  Nebuchadnezzar 
awaited  him.  Brought  before  the  Great  King,  with  the 
other  captives,  he  was  met  with  a  storm  of  only  too 
well-deserved  reproach  for  his  broken  oath,  and  soon 
found  that  he  could  expect  no  mercy.  All  the  princes 
taken  with  him  were  at  once  ordered  to  be  slain.  Then, 
with  a  refinement  of  cruelty,  his  own  sons  were  put  to 
death  before  him — the  last  sight  he  was  ever  to  behold ; 
for  a  spear,  thrust  into  his  eyes,  most  probably  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar himself,  presently  blinded  him  for  ever.  But 
this  was  only  the  beginning  of  his  humiliation.  Chained 
hand  and  foot,  with  a  ring  through  his  lips  as  if  he  were 
a  wild  beast,  he  was  put  into  a  cage,  and  carried  off 
to  Babylon,  to  lie  in  a  dungeon  till  death  put  an  end  to 
his  sufierings.^  How  long  he  survived  is  unknown,  but 
he  was  apparently  dead  when  Jehoiachin,  his  predecessor, 
was  freed  by  Evil  Merodach,  the  successor  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, twenty-six  years  from  this  time.-  Three 
kings  of  Judah  were  now  captives  in  the  hands  of  their 
enemies — Jehoahaz  in  Egypt,  and  two  others  in  Babylon. 
The  sins  of  the  nation  had  been  heavily  punished  ;  but  it 
was  to  be  purified  by  these  trials,  and  fitted  for  the  great 
work  still  before  it,  in  preparing  the  way  for  the  true 
spiritual  kingdom  of  God.  Such  multiplied  calamities 
sank  into  the  heart  of  the  race.  Future  generations 
forgot  the  weakness  of  Zedekiah,  as  they  forgot  the  faults 
of  his  royal  companions  in  misery,  and  thought  of  him 
1  Ezek.  xix.  9.  «  Jer.  lii.  31. 


116  THE    PALL    OF   JERUSALEM. 

only  as  gentle  and  righteous.^     A  fast  is  still  held  on  the 
10th  day  of  the  5th  month  to  bewail  his  fall. 

The  Temple  and  the  Upper  Town  held  out,  after  the 
Lower  City  had  fallen,  and  detained  the  Chaldeans  for 
another  month.  Not  till  then  did  the  townspeople  yield, 
when  utterly  overpowered.  The  Temple  was  defended  to 
the  very  last,  the  bravest  of  the  warriors  left  perishing 
vainly  in  its  courts.  All  classes,  indeed,  fought  with 
desperation.  Young  men  and  women,  veterans  past  their 
prime,  and  not  a  few  who  were  stooping  with  years,  fell 
with  their  faces  to  the  hated  foe.^  The  storming  of  a 
town,  or  indeed  any  of  the  wild  and  infamous  scenes  of 
war,  have  in  all  ages  been  the  same. 

"  The  gates  of  mercy,  then,  are  all  shut  up, 
And  the  flesh'd  soldier,  rough  and  hard  of  heart, 
Ranges,  in  liberty  of  bloody  hand, 
With  conscience  wide  as  hell."  ^ 

But,  at  last,  all  resistance  was  crushed,  and  Jerusalem 
lay  at  the  mercy  of  Nebuchadnezzar. 

The  defence  had,  however,  been  too  resolute,  the  re- 
bellion too  troublesome,  to  leave  any  hope  of  pity.  Such 
a  focus  of  revolt  must  be  ruthlessly  destroyed.  The 
town  was  given  up,  therefore,  to  plunder,  and  then  burnt ; 
the  mansions  of  the  rich  and  the  lowly  dwellings  of  the 
poor,  sharing  the  same  fate.*  The  walls,  moreover,  were 
levelled  with  the  ground.^  Nebuzaradan  had  been  left 
in  command,  and  he  had  no  mercy.  The  last  month's 
defence  had  infuriated  him.  The  worst  calamity  that  could 
overtake  a  nation  in  antiquity  was  inflicted  on  the  con- 
quered ;  their  temple  was  burnt  to  the  ground,  and  the 
remnant  of  the  garrison,  and  of  the  inhabitants  of  both 

*  Jos.,  Anty  X.  vii.  5.        ^2  Ohron.  xxxvi.  17.        ^  Henry  V. 
*  Jer.  xxxix.  8 ;  lii.  10.  *  Jer.  lii.  14. 


THE    PALL   OF   JERUSALEM.  117 

sexes,  carried  off  to  the  Chaldean  camp  to  await  their 
doom.  Everything  worth  taking  had  been  brought  out 
of  the  sanctuary  before  it  was  set  on  fire ;  the  metal 
work  of  all  kinds,  which  was  of  too  great  an  amount  to 
weigh,  and  the  sacred  utensils  remaining  since  Solomon's 
time,  forming  the  special  booty.^  The  poorer  classes,  in 
town  and  country,  were  spared,  in  a  measure,  the  fate  of 
the  more  prosperous  ;  only  the  strength  of  the  population, 
apparently,  being  carried  off.  Hence,  besides  those  who 
had  escaped  beyond  the  reach  of  the  enemy,  and  waited 
their  departure  to  return,  a  large  proportion  of  the 
peasantry  remained,  to  keep  the  land  from  reverting  to 
desolation.  The  immediate  appointment  of  a  Jewish 
governor  over  them,  show  their  numbers  to  have  been 
considerable.  The  Great  King,  while  determined  to 
crush  all  rebellion,  had  no  desire  to  turn  one  of  his 
provinces  into  a  wilderness.^ 

The  campaign  over,  Nebuchadnezzar  set  up  his  throne 
of  judgment.  Marched  to  Riblah,  the  final  crowd  of 
prisoners  were  brought  before  him.  Among  these  were 
Seraiah,  the  high  priest,  grandfather  or  great-grand- 
father of  Ezra ;  ^  Zephaniah  his  deputy,^  whom  we  have 
more  than  once  met  in  the  story  of  Jeremiah's  life ;  *  the 
keepers  of  the  temple  gates,  who  were  dignified  priests,^ 
next  in  rank  to  Zephaniah ;  the  commandant  of  the 
garrison,  who  had  held  out  for  a  month  after  the  fall  of 
the  Lower  Town ;  seven,  of  the  confidential  advisers  of 
Zedekiah,  members  of  the  oligarchy  who  had  forced  him  to 
his  ruin ;  the  chief  scribe  of  the  local  militia,  from  which 

*  2  Kings  xxvr.  13-17.     Jer.  Hi.  17-23. 

3  2  Kings  XXV.  12.     Jer.  xxxix.  10  ;  lii.  16. 

3  Ezra  vii.  1.    1  Chron.  v.  40.     Eivald,  vol.  iii.  p.  807.    Jer.  lii.  24. 

*  Jer.  xxi.  1 ;  xxix.  25 ;  xxxvii.  3. 

*  Jer.  xxxviii.  14. 


118  THE    FALL    OP   JERUSALEM. 

all  fighting  men  were  drawn — an  officer  like  our  adjutant- 
general  ;  and,  with  them,  sixty  survivors  of  the  gallant 
band  which  had  fought  to  the  last.^  All  these  were  at 
once  put  to  death.  The  rest  were  added  to  the  long 
train  of  earlier  captives,  and  marched  off  to  Babylon. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  siege,  as  has  been  said,  3,023 
persons  had  been  seized  and  led  away  to  the  Euphrates ; 
during  its  progress  832  had  been  added  to  the  number; 
but  how  many  were  taken  at  the  fall  of  the  city  is  not 
told.  All  its  sufferings,  however,  had  not  finally  crushed 
the  spirit  of  the  nation  ;  for  it  was  found  expedient,  four 
years  later,  to  carry  off  745  prisoners,  in  addition  to  all 
deported  before.^ 

In  the  midst  of  these  overwhelming  disasters,  Jeremiah 
remained  not  only  unharmed,  but  protected.  He  had, 
long  before,  prophesied  the  ultimate  downfall  of  Babylon, 
but  this  was  not  known.  His  services,  in  counselling 
surrender  to  the  Chaldeans,  on  the  contrary,  must  have 
been  in  all  mouths.  Orders  were  therefore  issued  by  the 
Great  King,  himself,  to  see  that  he  was  cared  for.  Set 
free  from  the  court  of  the  guard,  he  was  given  into  the 
care  of  Gedaliah,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Chaldean 
party  in  Jerusalem,  who  had  been  left  in  the  country  to 
govern  it,  for  Nebuchadnezzar.  Under  his  protection 
the  prophet  retired  to  Anathoth,  and  lived  quietly  among 
the  remnant  of  the  inhabitants.^ 

»  2  Kings  XXV.  18-21.     Jer.  Hi.  24-27. 

2  Jer.  lii.  28-30.  The  Temple  was  burned  in  the  nineteenth 
year  of  Nebuchadnezzar.  2  Kings  xxv.  8.  The  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  years  must  therefore  have  been  the  first  and  second 
of  the  siege. 

3  Jer.  xxxix.  11-14. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  survivors  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  left  in 
Judah  after  the  banishment  of  their  fellow- country- 
men to  the  Euphrates,  seemed,  for  the  time,  overwhelmed 
by  the  calamities  that  had  befallen  their  nation.  The 
Temple  they  had  thought  invulnerable  was  burnt  to  the 
ground ;  Jerusalem,  in  which  they  had  gloried  as  "  the 
joy  of  the  whole  earth  ^'  was  a  waste  of  blackened  ruins. 
The  town  gates  seemed  to  have  sunk  into  the  ground ;  ^ 
the  roads  to  Zion,  once  thronged  with  pilgrims,  lay  un- 
travelled ;  no  concourse  gathered  outside  the  walls,  for 
gossip  or  business ;  even  the  walls  themselves  were  thrown 
down,  and  jackals  haunted  the  Holy  Hill !  ^ 

That  such  crushing  disaster  should  have  found  varied 
expression  in  the  verses  of  contemporary  poets  was  in 
keeping  with  the  genius  of  the  race.  For  ages  past 
every  great  event  in  their  national  history,  whether 
glorious  or  sorrowful,  had  been  commemorated  in  lyrics 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation.  The  defeat 
of  Pharaoh,  the  triumph  over  Sisera,  the  death  of  Saul 
and  Jonathan,  the  overthrow  of  the  Northern  kingdom, 
and  the  destruction  of  the  army  of  Sennacherib,  had  been 

*  Lam.  ii.  9.  ^  Lara.  ii.  8;  i.  4  ;  v.  18. 

119 


120  THE  "lamentations"  op  jeremtah. 

sung  in  poems  known  to  every  Hebrew  child.  So,  now, 
was  it  to  be  with  the  crowning  catastrophe  of  the  fall  of 
Jerusalem,  carrying  with  it,  as  it  did,  the  temporary  ex- 
tinction of  the  Jewish  State.  The  seventy-ninth  Psalm  ^ 
seems  to  preserve  to  us  such  an  outburst  of  religious 
and  patriotic  emotion ;  a  wail,  one  might  say,  from  the 
bleeding  bosom  of  the  nation  ! 

Elohim !  the  heathen  have  thrust  themselves  into  Thy  in- 
heritance; 

They  have  defiled  Thy  holy  temple  !  They  have  laid  Jerusalem 
in  ruins  ! 

They  have  given  the  corpses  of  Thy  servants  as  food  to  the  birds 
of  heaven ; 

The  flesh  of  Tliy  Hasidim  ^  to  the  wild  beasts  of  the  earth ! 

They  have  poured  out  their  blood  like  water  round  Jerusalem, 
and  no  one  buried  them  ! 

"We  have  become  a  reproach  among  our  neighbours, 

A  scorn  and  derision  to  them  that  are  round  about  us. 

How  long,  Jehovah  (wilt  Thou  be  angry)?     Wilt  Thou  keep 

wratli  for  ever? 
Pour  out  Thy  wrath  on  the  heathen,  who  do  not  know  Thee ; 
On  the  kingdoms  that  do  not  call  upon  Thy  name  ! 
For  they  have  devoured  Jacob :  they  have  laid  waste  his  pastures. 
Oh  remember  not  against  us  the  sins  of  our  forefathers  ; 
Let  Thy  tender  mercies  speedily  come  to  us,  for  we  are  brought 

very  low ! 

Help  us,  0  God  of  our  salvation,  for  the  honour  of  Thy  name  ! 
Save  us  and  forgive  ^  our  sins,  for  Thy  name's  sake. 
Why  should  the  heathen  say,  "  Where  is  their  god  ?  " 

^  Delitzsch  assigns  Pss.  Ixxiv.  and  Ixxix.  to  the  time  of  Antiochus, 
2  Mace.  viii.  1-4  (c.  B.C.  167).  Moll  thinks  Ps.  Ixxix.  refers  to 
the  destruction  of  the  Temple,  B.C.  588.  So  also  does  Dr.  Kay. 
The  fact  is,  the  dates  of  the  Psalms  in  many  cases  are  conjectural. 

-   =  afterwards,  to  *'  Zealots." 

^  Lit.,  "  cover  " — then  "  forgive  " — "accept  an  expiation  for,"  etc. 


THE    "lamentations^'    OF    JEREMIAH.  121 

May  the  revenge  of  the  blood  of  Thy  servants,  which  has  been 

shed, 
Be  made  known  among  the  heathen,  before  our  eyes ! 

Let  the  groans  of  those  lying  in  chains  come  before  Thee; 
According  to  the  greatness  of  Thy  might  ^  preserve  Thou  those 

appointed  to  die ;  ^ 
And  render  back  to  our  neighbours,  sevenfold,  into  their  bosom,^ 
Their  reproach,  with  which  they  have  reproached  Thee,  O  Lord  ! 
So  we.  Thy  people,  and  the  flock  of  Thy  pasture 
Will  thank  Thee  for  ever,  and  will  speak  forth  Thy  praise  to  all 

generations ! 

The  eigbty-third  Psalm  may  also  be  a  remembrance  of 
this  sad  time.*  It  specially  dwells  on  the  hostility  shown 
to  Judah  by  the  neighbouring  peoples,  who  should  have 
helped  her  in  her  straits.  Instead  of  doing  this,  they 
had  joined  the  enemy  against  her. 

Elohim  !  give  Thyself  no  rest :  be  not  silent :  be  not  still,  0  El ! 
For,  lo,  thine  enemies  rage  loudly;  they  that  hate  Thee  carry 

their  heads  high  ! 
They  have  planned  crafty  schemes  against  Thy  people ; 
They  have  consulted  together  against  those  who  are  under  Thy 

protection  : 
They  say,  "  Up !  let  us  destroy  them  from  among  the  nations, 
That  the  name  of  Israel  be  no  more  remembered  "  ! 

For  with  one  heart  have  they  consulted  together;  they  have 
made  a  league  against  Thee. 
The  tents  of  Edom  and  of  the  Ishmaelites  ;  of  Moab  and  the 
Hagarenes ;  ^ 

^  Lit.,  •'  arm."         2  lj^.,  «'  sons  of  death."        ^  Vol.  v.  p.  380. 

*  It  has  been  assigned  by  different  critics  to  the  J\[accabean  age, 
that  of  Nehemiah,  that  of  Jehoshaphat,  and  that  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar. It  appears  to  suit  the  last  period  as  well  as  any  other, 
though  the  mention  of  Amalek,  unless  introduced  by  the  license 
of  poetry,  seems  to  iiint  at  an  earlier  date. 

*  These  races  were  all  more  or  less  tent  dwellers,  living  in  the 
regions  south  and  east  of  Judah. 


122  THE    "lamentations''    of   JEREMIAH. 

Gebal,  and  Ammon,  and  Amalek;  Philistia  with  the  inhabitants 

of  Tyre : 
Geshur,^  also,  has  joined  itself  to  them:  it  has  lent  its  arm  to 

the  sons  of  Lot. 

Do  to  them  as  Thou  didst  to  Midian ; 
As  to  Sisera,  as  to  Jabin,  at  the  torrent-stream  Kishon;* 
They  were  destroyed  at  Endor,^  they  lay  like  filth  on  the  ground, 
Make  their  nobles  like  Oreb  and  Zeeb ;  "* 
All  their  princes  like  Zebah  and  Zalmunna,* 

Who  said,  in  their  day,  "  Let  ns  take  possession  of  the  pastures 
of  Elohim  !  "  « 

My  God,  make  them  like  whirling  dust;  like  stubble  before  the 

wind ! 
As  fire  burns  the  yaar,  as  flame  kindles  the  mountain  forests 
So  chase   them  with  Thy  storm ;    overwhelm   them   with   Thy 

tempest ! 
Fill  their  faces  with  shame,  that  they  may   seek  Thy  face,  O 

Jehovah ; 
Let  them  be  confounded  and  overwhelmed  for  ever; 
Let  them  be  put  to  shame  ^  and  perish,  that  they  may  know 
That  Thou — whose  name  is  Jehovah ;   that  Thou,  alone, 
Art  the  Highest  over  all  the  earth  ! 

It  is,  however,  in  the  short  series  of  elegiac  poems, 
known  in  our  English  Bible  as  "  The  Lamentations  of 
Jeremiah,"  that  we  realize  the  intensity  of  the  sufferings 
which  Jerusalem  had  to  endure  before  its  fall,  and  the 
bitterness  and  sorrow  with  which  its  citizens  lamented 
its  fate.  In  the  Hebrew  text  no  author  of  these  com- 
positions is  named,  but  a  very  old  tradition  ascribes  them 
to  Jeremiah.  Already  in  the  Septuagint  translation, 
made  from  one  to  two  centuries  before  Christ,  the  state- 

»  Lagarde.  The  Hebrew  has  Assyria,  but  a  very  small  change 
is  required  for  the  emendation  in  the  text. 

2  Judges  V.  21.     3  Near  Tabor.    Judges  v.  19.     ^  Judges  vii.  25. 
5  Judges  viii.  5.         ^  Pastures  or  "  homesteads  "  of  Elobim. 
7  Lit.,  *'  grow  red." 


THE    "lamentations"    OF   JEREMIAH.  123 

ment  is  prefixed  to  the  Book,  that  "  It  came  to  pass, 
after  Israel  was  taken  captive,  and  Jerusalem  made 
desolate,  Jeremiah  sat  weeping,  and  lamented  this 
Lamentation  over  Jerusalem,"  and  to  this  the  Vulgate^ 
adds,  "in  bitterness  of  heart,  sighing  and  crying."  The 
Arabic  version  quotes  the  words  of  the  Septuagint,  and 
the  Targum  begins  with  the  statement  that  "  Jeremiah 
the  prophet  and  great  priest "  was  the  author.  It  is 
only  in  recent  times  that  critics  have  questioned  the 
uniform  belief  of  the  Jewish  and  early  Christian  Church, 
and  ascribed  the  Lamentations  to  some  other  author.^ 
Nothing  tbat  is  urged,  however,  need  shake  our  con- 
fidence in  these  touching  laments  being  the  production 
of  the  great  prophet.  The  grotto  in  which  he  is  said  to 
have  written  them  is  still  shown  in  the  face  of  a  rocky 
hill,  on  the  western  side  of  the  city.  But  whether  this 
tradition  be  correct  or  not,  they  show,  in  every  verse,  the 
signs  of  fresh  and  irrepressible  sorrow,  as  if  the  scene 
still  lay  beneath  the  eyes  of  the  poet^  and  the  events 
commemorated  were  still  agitating  the  heart.  Nor  is  it 
any  valid  objection  that  the  form  of  the  diff'erent  poems 
of  which  the  book  consists  appears  artificial.  The  first, 
second,  third,  and  fourth  chapters  are  written  in  verses, 

^  Fourth  century  after  Christ. 

2  Ewald  supposes  Lamentations  was  written  by  Barucb,  or 
some  other  of  Jeremiah's  di-sciples,  and  Bunsen  follows  him,  as 
he  does  generally.  Xaegelsbach  thinks  that  Jeremiah  was  not 
the  author.  Thenius  fancies  that  different  poets  wrote  different 
chapters.  This,  Eeuss  opposes,  ascribing  the  Book  to  some  un- 
known composer.  But  the  grounds  of  this  scepticism  as  to 
Jeremiah's  authorship  seem  slight  when  closely  examined.  Nor 
is  it  a  matter  of  any  serious  moment  who  was  the  inspired  author. 
The  Book  dates  from  immediately  after  the  siege  of  Jerusalem, 
whoever  wrote  it.  The  question  is  curious,  but  of  no  real  practical 
weight 


124 


THE    '^LAMENTATIONS        OF   JEEEMJAH. 


each  of  which  commences  with  the  successive  letters  of 
the  Hebrew  alphabet,  the  third  chapter  consisting  of 
verses  of  three  lines,  each  beginning  with  the  same  letter, 
while  the  order  of  two  of  the  letters  is  reversed  in  the 
second,  third  and  fourth.^  The  fifth,  though  not  alpha- 
betical, is  composed  in  twenty-two  verses,  the  number  of 
letters  in  the  Hebrew  alphabet.  But  no  one  ever  thought 
of  challenging  the  authorship  of  a   hymn,  because  the 


Wailing  Placb  at  the  Walls  o»  the  Temple,  Jekttsal'em; 

versification  was  peculiar.  As  a  help  to  memory,  the 
alphabetical  structure  may  have  been  of  great  use ;  or  it 
may  have  been  chosen  as  best  suited  for  a  theme  de- 
serving, above  all  others,  to  be  enshrined  in  a  measure 
apparently  esteemed  in  the  writer's  day. 

The  "  Lamentations"  are  still  read  yearly  by  the  Jews, 
to   commemorate   the   burning  of  the    Temple.     Every 

»  The  letters  Pe  and  Ayin  (s  and  y.) 


THE    "lamentations"    OF   JEREMIAH.  125 

Friday,  Israelites,  old  and  young,  of  both  sexes,  gather 
at  the  wailing  place  in  Jerusalem,  where  a  few  of  the 
old  stones  of  the  Temple  still  remain  in  the  wall,  and 
recite  these  sad  verses  and  suitable  Psaluis,  amidst  tears, 
as  they  fervently  kiss  the  stones.  On  the  ninth  of  the 
month  Ab,  nearly  our  July,  this  dirge,  composed  about 
six  hundred  years  before  Christ,  is  read  aloud  in  every 
synagogue  over  the  world. 

The  first  poem  describes  the  miseries  of  Jerusalem  and 
Judah  during  and  after  the  siege. 

I       ah,  how  she  sits  there,  lonely,^  the  town  once  so  rich  in 

people ;  2 
How  is  she  become  like  a  widow,  who  was  great  among  the 

nations ! 
The  queen  of  the  lands  ^  around — how  has  she  become  a  poor 

slave ! 
Bitterly  weeps  she  by  night — tears  hang  on  her  cheeks, 
None  has  she  to  comfort  her  of  all  those  who  loved  her; 
All  her  friends  have  betrayed  her  and  turned  to  be  her  foes. 

3  Gone  into  exile  is  Judah — worn  down  by  sorrow  and  slavery,** 
Finding  no  rest  where  she  now  sits  among  the  heathen. 

All  her  pursuers  came  up  with  her,  (the  hunted  bind),  when  her 
way  closed  in  before  her.^ 

4  Desolate,  the  roads  to  Zion  mourn ;  no  throngs  now  come  to 

her  feasts ; 
All  her  gates  are  desolate ;  her  priests  sigh ; 
Her  maidens  are  led  away,^  and  she  herself  is  in  bitterness ; 

'  Emptied  of  her  inhabitants.  ^  Lam.  i. 

^  Lit. '' provinces,"  perhaps  in  allusion  to  the  other  provinces 
of  Babylon,  or  to  the  former  empire  of  Israel. 

^  Her  long  sufferings  at  the  hands  of  Assyria,  Egypt,  and 
Chaldea. 

^  Lit.  "  between  the  straits,"  or  narrows,  from  which  escape  was 
impossible. 

^  Sept.  by  a  slight  change  of  the  Hebrew.  The  rendering 
"  afflicted,"  in  the  A.  V.,  from  the  Heb.,  if  right,  may  refer  to 


126  THE    "  LAMENTATIONS  "    OF    JEREMIAH. 

5  Her ^  foes  have  become  her  masters:  her  enemies  enjoy  quiet 

prosperity, 

For  Jehovah  has  sunk  her  in  trouble  for  her  many  trans- 
gressions. 

Her  tender  children  are  led  away  captive  by  the  oppressor. 

6  Vanished  from  the  Daughter  of  Zion  is  all  her  glory  ; 
Her  princes  are  come  to  be  like  deer  that  find  no  pasture,^ 

So  that  they  fled,  no  longer  swiftly  strong,  before  their  pursuers. 

7  Zion  ^   thinks   sadly   of  the   days  of  her  misery   and  forced 

wanderings, 
Of  all  her  pleasant  things  that  she  had  in  the  old  days, 
Before  her  people  fell  into  the  hand  of  the  adversary,  and  she 

had  no  helper. 
The  oppressors  saw  her,  and  mocked  at  her  calamities.^ 

8  Heinously  has  Jerusalem  sinned  ;  therefore  has  she  become  an 

abhorrence. 
All  who  once  honoured,  despise  her,  for  they  have  seen  her 

shame ; 
She,  herself,  also  sighs,  and  turns  away  her  face.* 

9  Tainted  and  foul  are  her  skirts,  for  she  had  not  thought  of  the 

sure  end  of  her  sins,^ 
Therefore  she  sank  thus  wondrously,  and  has  no  one  to  comfort 

her: 
"  See,  0  Jehovah,"  cries   she,  "  my  sorrow  ;  how  proudly  the 

foe  deals  with  me." 

10  yea,  he  stretched  out  his  hand  over  all  her  ancient  treasures. 
She  has  seen  the  heathen  enter  her  sanctuary ;  ^ 

Them,  whom  Thou  hast  commanded  never  to  come  into  the 
congregation. 

1 1  Craving  for  bread,  all  her  people  wearily  sigh ; 

their   no   longer   having   a    share    in    the  religious    festivities. 
Exod.  XV.  20.     Jud.  xxi.  19-21.     Ps.  Ixviii.  25. 

1  Soft  H. 

2  A  reference  perhaps  to  the  flight  of  Zedekiah  and  others. 

3  Heb.,  Jerusalem.  **  Not,  at  her  "  Sabbaths." 
*  Lit.,  *'  turns  backwards."        ^  Deut.  xxxii.  29. 

7  The  Ammonites,  Moabites,  and  Edomites,  as  part  of  the 
besieging  army,  had  entered  even  the  Holy  of  Holies  for  plunder. 
Deut.  xxiii.  3,  4.     Ps.  Ixxix. 


127 

They  gave  their  dearest  things  away  for  food,  to  keep  them 

alive.* 
"  See,  Jehovah,  and  behold,  how  I,  Jerusalem,  am  despised!  '* 

12  Little,  s^eems  it  to  you,  all  ye  passers  by  the  way  ?     Behold 

and  see. 
Is  any  sorrow  like  that  inflicted  on  me. 
Me,   whom  Jehovah   has  troubled  in  the   day  of  His   fiery 

wrath  ? 

13  My  bones  hath  He  filled  with  fire  from  on  high  ;  it  glows 

through  them.2 
He  has  spread  a  net  for  my  feet;  he  has  driven  me^  into  it 

(like  a  hunted  deer), 
He  has  made  me  desolate,  and  sick  at  heart  all  the  day. 

14  Now  is  the  yoke  of  my  sins  bound  on  me  by  His  hand; 
Twisted  into  strong  bonds,  they  are  come  on  my  neck  ;  He  has 

bowed  down  my  strengtli; 
Jehovah  has  given  me  into  their  hands,  before  whom  I  cannot 
resist. 

15  Slighted*  by  Jehovah  have  been  all  my  mighty  men  in  my 

midst; 
A    solemn  feast  was  proclaimed  against  me — to   crush  my 

young  braves; 
Jehovah  has  trodden,  as  in  a  wine  press,  the  virgin  daughter 

of Judah. 

16  At  ^  these  things  my  eyes  weep — my  eyes,  running  with  tears, 
For  they  who  should  comfort  me,  they  who  should  quicken 

me  to  life  again,  are  far  from  me. 
My  children  are  destroj  ed,  for  the  foe  has  prevailed ! 

17  Pleading  hands  are   stretched  out  by  Zion,  yet  has  she  no 

comforter. 


*  Lit.,  '*  to  bring  back  their  life." 
'  Ewald,  by  an  emendation. 

*  Lit.,  "  turned  me  back  into  it  when  I  was  trying  to  escape." 

*  Thus,  Gesenius  and  De  Wette.     "Surrendered,"  "given  up," 
Keil  and  Ewald. 

*  A  for  Ayin  in  the  Heb.  alphabet.     We  have  no  letter  exactly 
similar. 


128  TH 

Jehovah  has  commanded  that  those  round  Jacob  *  should  be 

his  foes  ; 
Jerusalem  has  become  a  loathing  among  them. 

i8       "Truly 2  Jehovah  is   only  righteous,  for  I   have  rebelled 
against  His  word; 
Hear,  therefore,  all  ye  nations,  and  behold  my  sorrow. 
My  maidens  and  my  young  men  are  gone  into  captivity. 

19  Coldly  did  my  lovers  betray  me  when  I  called  to  them ; 
My  priests  and  my  elders  perished  of  hunger  in  the  city, 
Seeking  for  food  to  bring  back  their  life. 

20  Rise  and  behold,  O  Jehovah,  how  deep  is  my  grief;  my  souP 

glows  within  me. 
My   heart   beats   quick*    in  my  bosom,   for  I  have  greatly 

rebelled ; 
The  sword  makes  me  childless  without;  within,  there  is  death. 

21  Sighing*  aloud  *  I  have  no  comforter,'  my  trouble  is  heard  ; 
All  my  foes  have  learned  of  my  sorrow;  they  are  glad  Thou 

hast  caused  it ; 
But  Thou  bringest  on  the  day  Thou  hast  foretold,  when  they 
will  be  as  I  am. 

22  To  Thy  throne  rise  all  their  wickedness  ! 

Do  to   them  what  they  have  done  to  me,  for  all  my  trans- 
gressions ; 
For  many  are  my  sighs  and  my  heart  is  faint." 

A  lament  over  the  Divine  judgments  on  the  city,  and 
the  desolation  of  Judab,  and  a  touching  supplication  on 
their  behalf,  succeed. 

I       Ah !  ^  how  has  Jehovah  covered  the  Daughter  of  Zion  with 
His  anger,  like  a  cloud  ! 
He  has  cast  down  the  glory  of  Israel  from  heaven  to  the  earth, 
And  has  not   remembered  His  footstool  in  the  day  of   His 
wrath ! 


1  The  nations  round  Judah.  ^  The  T  should  be  Ts. 

3  Lit.,  "  my  inner  parts."     *  Lit.,  "  turns,"  "  is  greatly  moved.' 

«  Should  be  Sh.  ^  Lam.  ii. 


THE    "lamentations'^    OP   JEREMIAH.  129 

2  (Blasted  and)  destroyed  are  all  the  homesteads  of  Jacob  by 

Jehovah,  nor  has  He  piiied  them  ; 
He  has  thrown  down,  in  His  wrath,   the  strongholds   of  the 

Daughter  of  Judah  ; 
He  has  cast  them  to  the  ground;    He  has   dishonoured   the 

kingdom  and  its  princes. 

3  Grimly  fierce,  He  has  cut  off  every  horn  ^  of  Israel ; 

He  has  drawn  back  His  right  hand  from  the  face  of  the  enemy. 
And  burned  up  Jacob,  like   flaming   fire   that   consumes   all 
round  it, 

4  Drawn  has  He  His  bow,  like  an  enemy;  standing  (to  aim)  with 

his  right  hand,  like  a  foe  ; 
And  has  slain  all  that  was  pleasant  to  the  eye; 
He  has  poured  out  His  fury  like  fire  in  the  tent  of  the  Daughter 

of  Zion. 

5  He,  Jehovah,  has  become  like  a  foe  :  He  has  destroyed  Israel ; 
Destroyed  all  her  castles;  broken  down  all  her  strongholds, 
And  heaped  up  groans  and  sighs  on  the  Daughter  of  Judah. 

6  Violently  has  He  destroyed  His  Temple,^  (in  its  sacred  grove) 

as  if  it  had  been  a  common  garden ;  He  has  destroyed  the 

place  of  His  Feasts. 
Jehovah  has  caused  feasts  ^  and  Sabbaths  to  be  forgotten  in 

Zion. 
And  rejected  in  His  fierce  anger  both  king  and  priest. 

7  (Zealous  against  us),  Jehovah  has  cast  aside  His  altar;  He  has 

profaned  His  sanctuary ; 
He  has  given  the  walls  of  her  castles  into  the  hand  of  the 

foe. 
They  raised  a  wild  noise  in  the  House  of  Jehovah,  as  if  it  had 

been  one  of  our  festivals  ! 

8  (He),  Jehovah,  had  purposed  to  level  the  wall  of  the  Daughter 

of  Zion : 
He  stretched  out  the  measuring  line :  He  did  not  hold  back  His 

hand  from  destroying. 
He  made  rampart  and  wall  to  lament — sunk  in  ruins  together. 

9  (Torn  down  or  burnt),  her  gates  have,  (as  it  weie),  sunk  into 

the  ground ;  He  has  destroyed  and  broken  her  bars. 


^  Every  means  of  defence.  -  Lit.,  "  Tent,"  or  "  covert." 

*  "  Appointed  seasons." 
VOL.    VI.  K 


Her  king  and  her  princes  are  among  the  heathen  ;  the  Law  is 

no  more. 
Even  her  prophets  obtain  no  longer  a  vision  from  Jehovah. 

10  In  silence,  the  elders  of  the  Daughter  of   Zion  sit  on  the 

ground ; 
They  have  cast  dust  on   their  heads;  they  are  girded  with 

sackcloth; 
The  virgins  of  Jerusalem  have  suiik  their  heads  to  the  earth. 

11  Closed  by  much  weeping,  my  eyes  fail  ;  my  whole  body 

glows ; 
My   liver  is  poured  on  the  earth,  at  the   destruction  of  the 

Daughter  of  my  people, 
For  the  children  and  sucklings  perish  for  hun  ger  in  the  streets 

of  the  city  : 

12  Lying  in  the  streets  of   the  city,  dying,  like   the   mortally 

wounded. 
They  cry  to  their  mothers  "  Where  is  the  corn  and  wine?  "^ 
Their  souls  breathing  themselves  out,  meanwhile,  on    their 

mother's  bosom. 

13  (Maiden)  daughter  of  Jerusalem  !  what  (message  of  comfort) 

shall  I  give  thee  ?  to  what  shall  I  liken  thee  ? 
What  shall  I  compare  to  thee,  for  thy  consolation,  O  virgin 

daughter  of  Zion  ? 
Thy  trouble-  is  great  as  a  sea;  who  can  heal  thee? 

14  Nothing  but  lies  and  deceit^  have  thy  false  prophets  spoken 

to  thee ; 
They  have  not  laid  open  thy  sin,  to  prevent  thy  being  led  into 

captivity ; 
They  prophesied  to  thee  only  false  *•  burdens,"  deceitful  and 

ruinous. 

15  Still,  as  men  pass  by,  all  clap  their  hands  together  at  thee  in 

scorn ; 
They  hiss,  and  shake  their  heads  at  the  Daughter  of  Jeru- 
salem. 


^  These  two  represent  food  and  drink  generally. 

2  Lit.,  "  breach,  or  "  wound." 

3  Lit.,  "whitewash,"  "plaster,"  "pretence." 


"  Is  this  the  city,"  say  they,  *'  that  men  call  '  The  Perfection 
of  Beauty,'  *  The  Joy  of  the  whole  earth  ?  '  " 

16  (Pleased'  at  thy  fall)  thine  enemies  open  their  mouths  -wide 

at  thee ; 
Hissing  (in  contempt)  and  gnashing  their  teeth  (in  rage)  they 

say,  *'  We  have  destroyed  her  ! 
This  is  the  day  for  which  we  hoped — now  we  have  found  and 

seen  it ! " 

17  All  that  Jehovah  had  determined  has  He  done ; 

He  has  fulfilled  His  word,  ordered  in  days  of  old— He  has 

destroyed  without  pity; 
He  has  let  the  foe  rejoice  over  thee ;  he  has  raised  the  horn  of 

thine  oppressors. 

18  Their"  heart  cried  in  sorrow  to  Jehovah! 

Let  thy  tears  flow  down  day  and  night  like  a  stream,^  0  wall 

of  the  Daughter  of  Zion  ! 
Give  thyself  no  rest;*  let  not  the  apple  of  thine  eye  cease 

weeping  ! 

19  Cry  out  in  the  night,  rising  up;  in  the   beginning   of   the 

watches " 
Pour  out  thy  heart  like  water  before  the  face  of  the  Lord; 
Lift  up  thy  hands  to  Him,  for  the  life  of  thy  children, 
That  perish  for  hunger  at  every  corner  of  the  streets. 

20  Regard,  0  Jehovah,   and  behold,  to  whom  hast   Thou  thus 

done ! 
Shall  women  eat  the  fruit  of  their  womb — the  babes  of  their 

nursing  ? 
Shall  the  priest  and  the  prophet  lie  slain  in  the  sanctuary  of 

the  Lord  ? 

21  Shall  the  boy  and  the  grey-haired  man  lie  dead  on  the  ground 

in  the  streets  ? 


*  In  the  2nd,  3rd,  and  4th  chapters  the  Hebrew  letter  Pe  comes 
before  Ayin. 

2  T  should  be  Ts.  '  A  mountain  rain- torrent. 

*  In  prayer.     Lit.,  "grow  not  cold." 

5  In  the  beginning  of  each  watch.  In  Jeremiah's  time  there 
were  three  night  watches  of  four  hours  each.  Exod.  xiv.  24. 
Ps.  Ixiii.  6. 


132  THE    "  liAMENTATIONS  "    OP   JEREMIAH. 

My  virgins  and  ray  young  men  have  fallen  by  the  sword; 
Slain  by  Thee  in  the  day  of  Thy  wrath,  slain  without  pity  ! 
Thou  callest  my  terrors  round  me,  like  the  crowds  on  the  day 

of  a  feast ; 
None  of  my  children  escaped  or  could  flee,  in  the  day  of  the 

wrath  of  Jehovah  ; 
Those  I  had  nursed  and  brought  up  has  my  foe  destroyed. 

Now  follows  a  touching  poem  on  the  sufferings  and  the 
consolation  of  the  godly  .^  It  is  written  in  verses  of  three 
lines,  each  verse  beginning  in  all  its  lines  with  the  same 
letter;  and  the  successive  verses  following  the  Hebrew 
alphabet  in  regular  order — perhaps  to  impress  the  poem 
more  easily  on  the  memory.  It  is  put  in  the  mouth  of 
an  imaginary  singer — a  survivor  of  the  siege. 

1  Alas  !  I  am  the  man  who  has  seen  affliction  by  the  rod  of 

His  wrath ! 

2  Alas!    He  has   guided  and  led  me  through  darkness— not 

through  light! 

3  Against  Me  has  He  turned,  again  and  again,  His  hand,  all  the 

day  long ; 

4  Bruised  ^  has  He  my  flesh  and  my  skin ;  He  has  broken  my 

bones ; 

5  Built  up,  round  about  me,  poison  and  travail, 

6  Brought  me  into  darkness,  Hke  the  long  dead  ! 

7  Girded  me  round  has  He,  with  a  wall,  that  I  cannot  get  out, 

He  has  made  my  chain  heavy. 

8  Gives  no  ear  to  my  prayer  when  I  cry  and  call. 

9  Girded  round  my  paths  with  a  wall  of  squared  stones  ;  He 

breaks  up  my  paths. 

10  Dread  is  He  to  me  as  a  bear,  or  a  lion  hidden  in  secret. 

11  Dumb  with  terror  has   He  made  me;  driving  me  from   my 

ways,  and  letting  the  wild  beasts  tear  me  in  pieces. 

12  Drawing  His  bow.  He  has  set  me  as  a  mark  for  the  arrow. 

13  He  has  let  the  sons  of  His  quiver  ^  pierce  into  my  loins.'* 

1  Lam.  iii.  1-21.  2  Lit.,  "  rubbed  away." 

3  i.e.  arrows.  *  Lit.,  "  kidneys." 


OF   JEEEMTAH.  133 

14  Held  in  derision  am  I  by  all  my  people :  their  scoff  all  the 

day. 

15  He   has    filled    me    with    bitterness    and    made    me    drink 

wormwood. 

16  With    gravel    stones    has    he    broken    my    teeth ;    He    has 

strewn  me  with  ashes. 

17  Withheld  has  He,  my  soul,  from  peace:    I    have  forgotten 

prosperity. 

18  Withered  for    ever,  said  I,  is    my  strength,    and  my  hope 

from  Jehovah. 

19  Set^  before  Thee  my  affliction  and  my  misery ;  the  wormwood 

and  the  poison  ; 

20  Set  before  my  soul  are  they;  it  is  bowed  down  within  me ; 

21  Seeing  therefore  I  thus  keep  them  before  me,  I  will  hope  (for 

God's  mercy). 

Now  follow  words  of  contrition  and  hope. 

22  Wholly"  of  Jehovah's  mercy  is  it  that  we  are  not  consumed, 

because  His  compassions  fail  not. 

23  (His  mercies)  are  new  every  morning ;  great  is  Thy  faithful- 

ness. 

24  He,  Jehovah,  is  my  portion,  says  my  soul :  therefore  will  I 

hope  in  Him. 

25  To  those  who  cling  to  Him,  Jehovah  is  good  :   to  the  soul  that 

seeks  Him ; 

26  To  work  patiently  for  the  salvation  of  Jehovah  is  good; 

27  To  bear  the  yoke  (of  trouble)  in  his  youth  is  good  for  a  man. 

28  If  Jehovah  bow  him  with  sorrows,  let  him  sit  alone  in  silence; 

29  If,  perchance,  there  be  hope,  let  him  kiss  the  dust  meekly; 

30  If  even  it  bring  reproach,  let  him  give  his  cheek  to  the  smiter. 

31  Cast  off  the  Lord  may,  but  not  for  ever  ! 

32  Cause  grief  He  may,  but  He  also  pities,  in  the  multitude  of 

His  mercies. 

33  Contraiy  to  His  heart  is  it  to  afflict  or  to  grieve  the  children 

of  men. 


'  Here  and  in  the  next  two  lines  the  first  letter  should  be  Z. 
Set  before"  is  used  as  =  " remember." 
2  Wh  should  be  H. 


134  THE    '^  LAMENTATIONS '^    OF   JEEEMIAH. 

34  Lord  !  to  tread  in  pieces  under  one's  feet  all  the  prisoners 

of  the  earth — 

35  Lord !  to  turn  aside  the  right  of  a  man  in  his  dispute  before 

the  face  of  the  Most  High — 

36  Lord !  to  defraud  a  man   in  his  cause — is  not  pleasing   to 

Theel^ 

Having  uttered  these  words  of  submission  and  hope, 
the  prophet  breaks  out  afresh  into  expressions  of  suffer- 
ing; his  grief  being  still  irrepressible,  notwithstanding 
his  trust  in  the  justice  and  goodness  of  God.  All  things 
are  in  His  hands.  Evil  as  well  as  good  is  by  His  ap- 
pointment :  the  former  coming  on  man  for  his  sin  ;  the 
latter,  as  the  gift  of  heavenly  bounty.  But  amidst  all 
the  trials  of  his  country,  the  Throne  of  Grace  is  ever 
open  ;  to  that  let  the  mourners  humbly  repair  !  Nor  let 
them  complain  if  they  receive  chastening  from  the  Lord; 
the  just  punishment  of  their  offences! 

37  Man  never  was,  who  could  speak,  and  it  came  to  pass,  if 

the  Lord  had  not  commanded  ; 

38  Mast  not  evil  as  well  as  good  proceed  out  of  the  mouth  of  the 

Most  High? 

39  Man,  left  alive,  must  not  sigh,  but  reform;  for  why  sigh  over 

deserved  punishment  of  one's  sins? 

40  No,  let  us,  rather,  prove  and   search  our  ways,  and  turn  to 

Jehovah ! 

41  Not  only  our  hands,  but  our  hearts,  also,  be  lifted  up  to  God 

in  the  heavens  ! 

42  Not  one  of  us  but  has  sinned  or  rebelled,  and  Thou  hast  not 

pardoned. 

43  Sore  offended.  Thou  hast  put  on  wrath,  like  a  garment,  and 

punished  us;  slaying  us  without  pity. 

44  Supplication  cannot  pass  through  to  Thee,  for  Thou  hast  hid 

Thyself  in  a  thick  cloud. 


1  I  have  changed  the  person  in  this  verse  from  the  third  to  the 
second,  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  alphabetical  structure. 


135 

45  Sordid  offscourings    and  refuse  hast  Thou  made  us,  in  the 

midst  of  the  nations. 

46  (Proudly)  have  all  our  enemies  opened  their  mouths  at  us, 

47  Panic  alarm,  and  the  pit  of  destruction,*  have  we  round  us; 

devastation  and  ruin. 

48  Pouring  down  from  my  eyes,  flow  streams  of  tears,  for  the 

destruction  of  the  daughter  of  my  people. 

49  Always,  without    intermission;  tears    trickle  down  without 

ceasing; 

50  Always,  till  Jehovah  look  down  and  behold  us,  from  heaven. 

51  At  the  thought  of  all  the  daughters  of  my  city  my  eye  troubles 

my  heart. 

The  prophet  here  interrupts  the  narrative  of  the  sorrows 
of  his  people,  by  recalling  his  own  sufferings  at  their 
hands. 

52  Terribly  2  have  my  enemies  hunted  me  without  cause,  like  a 

bird 

53  They  tried  to  cut  off  my  life  in  a  pit^  and  put  a  stone  on  its 

mouth.  ■* 

54  The  waters  flowed  over  my  head,  so  that  I  thought,  "  I  am 

lost." 

55  Calling  on  Thy  name,  0  Jehovah,  I  cried  out  of  the  depth' 

of  the  cistern  ; 

56  •*  Close  not  thine  ear  to  my  voice,  to  my  sighing,  to  my  cry." 

57  Come  near,  didst  Thou,  in  the  day  when  I  called,  and  saidst, 

**  Fear  thou  not." 

58  (Righteous)  Lord,  Thou  didst  defend  my  life;^  Thou  didst 

save  it ! 


*  In  which  wild  animals  are  taken. 

2  T  should  in  this  and  the  two  following  lines  be  Ts. 

3  The  same  word  as  that  for  the  pit  or  cistern  in  which  Jere- 
miah was  confined. 

■*  A  reference,  apparently,  to  the  putting  the  heavy  stone  lid, 
over  the  cistern  in  which  Jeremiah  was  imprisoned.  Jer. 
xxxviii.  6.  *  Lit,  "  lowest  depths." 

6  Lit.,  "  plead  the  suit  for  my  Hfe." 


136  THE    '^LAMENTATIONS^'    OP   JEREMIAH. 

59  Begarded  hast  Thou,   O  Jehovah,  my  wrongful  treatmeiifc — 

judge  Thou  my  cause! 

60  Revenge  taken  on  me  by  them,  Thou  sawest  it  all ;  and  all 

that  they  plotted  agamsfc  me  ! 

61  Shame  cast  on  me  by  them,  Thou  didst  hear,  0  Jehovah;  all 

that  they  plotted  against  me ! 

62  Sayings  of  those  that  rose  up  against  me,  and  their  murmured 

schemes  for  my  hurt,  all  the  day. 

63  See,  at  their  sitting  down  together  and  their  rising  up,  I  am 

their  scoff! 

64  Take  vengeance  on  them,  0  Jehovah,  according  to  the  works 

of  their  hands ; 

65  Their  heart,  do  thou  blind  it* — let  Thy  curse  rest  upon  them; 

66  Turn  on  them  and  destroy  them,  in  wrath,  from  under  the 

heavens  of  Jehovah ! 

These  three  laments  not  having  calmed  the  emotion  of 
the  prophet  at  the  remembrance  of  the  awful  sufferings 
of  his  people,  he  adds  a  fourth,  in  which  the  miseries 
endured  in  the  siege  are  painted  in  the  most  touching 
detail.  Comparing  the  citizens  to  fine  gold  and  to  the 
stones  of  the  sanctuary,^  he  bewails  their  fate  under  the 
figure  of  the  dimming  of  the  one  and  the  throwing  down 
of  the  other. 

1  Ah  !  how  is  the  gold  grown  dull  !^  the  finest  gold  changed  ! 
How  are  the  holy  stones  thrown  down,  at  every  corner  of  the 

streets."* 

2  Burghers  of  Zion,  the  noblest;  men  to  be  weighed  against 

finest  gold, 
Ah  !  how  they  are  treated  as  if  they  were  common  earthenware 
pitchers,  the  work  of  a  potter's  hands  ! 

3  (Gaunt)  she- wolves^  offer  the  breast  to  their  young  and  suckle 

them ; 

1  Lit..  "  cover  "  hence  "  blind."  2  2ech.  ix.  16. 

*  Lam.  iv.  "*  Lam.  ii.  19. 

5  See  note  on  the  word  "  tannin,"  vol.  v.  p.  45.  It  means  really 
any  fierce  beast,  or  monster;  here,  nearly  all  understand  "the 
she- wolf  "  to  be  intended. 


THE    "lamentations''    OF   JEREMIAH.  137 

But  the  daughter  of  my  people  has  grown  lieartless  as  the 
ostrich  in  the  wilderness,  (which  forsakes  its  young  when 
alarmed  by  the  hunter).^ 


4  Dried  up  by  thirst,  the  tongue  of  the  suckling  cleaves  to  the 

roof  of  its  mouth; 
The  young  children  ask  bread ;  no  one  breaks  it  to  them. 

5  Hollow-cheeked,  those  wont   to  eat  dainties  wander  in  the 

streets, 
Those  brought  up  wearing  scarlet,  are  glad  to  make  dunghills 
their  couch. 

6  "Worse  is  the  punishment  of  the  sin  of  the  daughter  of  my 

people,  than  that  of  the  sin  of  Sodom  : 
It  was  destroyed  in  a  moment ;  the  hands  of  the  foe  did  not 
rest  on  her  (as  on  us). 

7  Zion's  princes  shone  white  as  snow ;  they  were  whiter  than 

milk; 
They  were  more  ruddy  in  body  than  corals ;  their  form  was 
lovely  as  that  of  a  well-cut  sapphire. 

8  (Hideous    now !),    their    faces    blacker   than   darkness    with 

famine ;  they  are  not  recognised  in  the  streets ; 
Their  skin  cleaves  to  their  bones  ;  it  is  dried  up  like  wood. 

9  Those  slain  with  the  sword  are  better  ofE  than  their  neigh- 

bours, that  perish  of  hunger! 
For  these  die,  gnawed  through  by  famine,  for  want  of  the 
fruits  of  ihe  field. 

10  Infants,  and  these  their  own,  have  been  boiled  by  mothers, 

till  then  full  of  pity. 
Such  babes  were  their  food,  in  the  downfall  of  the  daughter  of 
my  people. 

Jerusalem  has  been  utterly  destroyed. 

1 1  Carried  out  to  the  uttermost  by  Jehovah  is  His  fury ;  He 

has  poured  forth  His  burning  wrath. 
And  kindled  a  fire  in  Zion  that  has  devoured  even  its  founda- 
tions. 


»  Tristram,  p.  238. 


138  THE    ^'^  LAMENTATIONS  "    OP   JEREMIAH. 

12  Little  would  the  kings  of  the  earth,  or  the  inhabitants  of  the 

world ^  have  thought, 
That  the  foe  and  the  oppressor  would  enter  into  the  gates  of 
Jerusalem !  ^ 

The  sins  of  the  prophets  and  priests  were  the  great 
cause  of  the  fall  of  the  city.  A  strong  faction,  led  by 
members  of  these  orders,  confident  in  the  speedy  return 
of  their  brethren  from  exile,  had  raised  fierce  tumults 
during  the  siege,  to  prevent  surrender;  many  citizens 
perishing  in  the  contests  thus  excited. 

13  Mainly  for  the  sins  of  her  prophets  and  for  the  iniquities  of 

her  priests, 
Who  shed  the  blood  of  the  just  in  her  midst, ^  (has  this  cata- 
strophe come  on  her) 

14  Numbers  of  them  wandered  blindly  through  the  streets,  soiled 

with  blood, 
So  that  no  one  could  touch  their  clothing. 

15  *' Stand  back  !"  men  cried  out  to  them,  "  ye  unciean  !  "  "stand 

back!  stand  back  !    Touch  us   not!"*     Yet  they  strove,* 
and  roamed  about,  saying 
"The  exiles  will  not  sojourn  long  among  the  heathen." 


1  An  Oriental  hyperbole  for  "any  one." 

2  The  Jews  thought  their  capital  impregnable,  in  spite  of  its 
having  been  repeatedly  spoiled  by  enemies.  Perhaps  the  defeat 
of  Sennacherib  led  to  this  fancy ;  but  the  belief  that  Jehovah 
would  defend  it  as  "  His  seat,"  the  locality  of  His  Temple,  was 
undoubtedly  the  main  ground  of  confidence  in  its  security. 

2  Jer.  vi.  13  ;  xxiii.  11 ;  xxvi.  8 ;  etc. 

^  They  were  warned  off  like  lepers.  Lev.  xiii.  45.  They  should 
have  raised  the  cry,  but  not  doing  so,  the  people  raised  it.  This 
verse  shows  that  the  law  of  the  leper,  in  Leviticus,  was  then  well 
known. 

5  The  Hebrew  word  used  here  may  be  derived  from  a  verb 
meaning  "  to  strive,"  as  well  as  from  one  meaning  "  to  flee 
away,"  and  the  sense  seems  much  better. 


THE    ^'lamentations''    OF   JEREMIAH.  139 

i6  (Proud  ones),  the  glance  of  Jehovah  scattered  them:  He  no 
longer  paid  respect  to  them  :  and  so 
The  citizens  regarded  not  the  faces  of  priests,  and  had  no 
reverence  for  the  Elders. 

17  As  for  us,  (the  besieged),  our  eyes  pined  away,  looking  in 

vain  for  help,  (from  Egypt  or  elsewhere). 
Our  weary  watching  has  all  been  for  a  nation  that  could  not 
help  ns ! 

18  The  foe,  from  their  siege  works,  kept  their  eyes  on  our  very 

footsteps,  so  that  we  could  not  walk  in  the  streets ; 
Our  end  is  near,  our  days  are  completed  ;  yea,  our  end  is 
come! 

19  Keener  in  their  swiftness  than  the  eagles  of  heaven  were  our 

pursuers ; 
They  hunted  after  us  on  the  mountains  :  they  lurked  for  us  in 
the  desert. 

20  (Royal  Zedekiah),  the  breath  of  our  nostrils,  the  Anointed  of 

Jehovah,  was  caught  in  their  pits,  ^ 
Of  whom  we  said,  "Under  his  shadow  shall  we  live  among 
the  nations." 

The  treacherous  part  taken  in  this  time  of  Jrouble 
by  Edom,  a  nation  related  to  Judah,  had  sunk  into  the 
heart  of  the  Hebrews. 

21  Sing  and  be  glad,  O  daughter  of  Edom,  inhabitress  of  the 

land  of  Uz ! 
But  the  cup  will  come  to   thee,  also !     Thou,  too,  shalt  b« 
drunk  with  the  shame  of  ruin  :  thou,  too,   shalt  expose 
thyself  to  contempt ! 

22  Tliy  punishment"  is  over,  0  daughter  of  Zion  :  Jehovah  will 

no  more  carry  thee  away  into  captivity  : 
But  He  will  hereafter  visit  thee  for  thy  iniquity,^  O  daughter 
of  Edom  :  He  will  lay  bare  thy  sins  ! 

*  As  before,  a  figure  from  the  pits  in  which  wild  be;»sts  were 
taken. 

2  Lit.,  "  thy  iniquity,"  the  cause  being  put  for  the  penalty. 

3  Same  word  in  Heb.  as  is  translated  "  punishment "  in  the 
line  above. 


140  THE    "lamentations'^    of   JEREMIAH. 

The  last  poem  in  this  series  is  an  earnest  prayer  to 
God  not  to  forsake  His  people  for  ever.  The  agonies  of 
the  siege,  and  of  the  storming  of  Jerusalem,  had  been 
already  painted  in  vivid  colours^  but  they  had  so  burnt 
themselves  into  the  memory  of  the  prophet,  that  he 
cannot  refrain  from  reciting  them  once  more.  This  done, 
however,  he  lifts  his  voice  to  Jehovah,  the  one  sure  Help 
and  Saviour,  and  closes  his  lament  by  leaving  the  fate  of 
his  nation  to  the  infinite  pity  of  its  Heavenly  King.  The 
artificial  structure  of  the  vervses,  beginning  with  suc- 
cessive letters,  is  now  discontinued,  but  their  number  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the  letters  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet. 

1  Remember,  Jehovali/  what  lias  happened  to  us;  behold,  and 

see  our  reproach! 

2  Our  inheritance  is  made  over  to   foreigners,   our  houses   to 

aliens. 

3  Orphans  are  we,  without  a  father;  our  mothers  are  as  widows. 

4  We  drank  our  water  only  for  money ;  we  got  our  fuel  only  for 

payment. 

5  We  were  pursued,  with  the  hand  of  tbe  foe  on  onr  necks  :  we 

were  worn  out  and  had  no  rest. 

6  We  gave  ourselves  up^  to  the  Egyptians  and  to  the  Assyrians, 

for  enough  to  eat. 

7  Our  fathers  sinned  and  are  not  :  we  bear  the  punishment  of 

their  sins. 

8  Slaves — the  court  eunuchs  of  Egypt  and  Chaldea — have  ruled 

us  :  no  one  delivers  us  out  of  their  hands. 

9  "We  reap  our  grain  ^  at  the  risk  of  our  lives,  from  the  sword  of 

the  Arabs  of  the  desert. 

10  Our  skin  burns  like  an  oven  with  the  feverish  blast  of  famine. 

11  Tlie  women  of  Zion  were    dishonoured:  tlie   maidens  in  the 

towns  of  Judah. 


*  liam.  V. 

^  Lit.,  "  gave  the  hand,"  as  a  sign  of  submission. 

*  Lit.,  "  sret  our  bread." 


THE    "lamentations^'    OP   JEREMIAEI.  141 

12  Princes  were  hung  up  by  the  hand  (on  the  cross)  :  the  faces 

of  the  Elders  received  no  respect. 

13  They  took  our  strong  young  men  to  grind  their  mills;  our 

lads  staggered  under  loads  of  fuel. 

14  Elders  no  longer  gathered  at  the  gate:  young  men  gave  up 

their  songs. 

15  The  joy  of  our  hearts  has  ceased  :  our  dancing  is  turned  into 

lamentation. 

16  The  crown  of  our  head — our  honour— has  fallen  off:  woe  to 

us  that  we  sinned ! 

17  For  this,  our  heart  is  faint:  for  this,  our  eyes  grow  dark — 

18  For  Mount  Zion,  because  it  lies  waste:  the  foxes  run  over  it. 

Then  follows  an  earnest  prajer. 

19  Thou,  Jehovah,  reignest  for  ever:  Thy  throne,  from   genera- 

tion to  generation. 

20  Why  wilt  Thou  forget  us  for  ever  ?  why  wilt  Thou  forsake  us 

so  long? 

21  Lead  us  back  to  Thee,  O  Jehovah,  that  we  may  truly  return 

to  Thee  :  renew  our  days  as  of  old  ! 

22  Thou   wilt  not  surely  wholly  forget  us?     Thou  wilt  not  be 

angry  with  us  beyond  measure  ? 

Thus  wailed  the  genius  of  Hebrew  poetry  over  the 
desolation  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem !  Other  cities  and 
countries  have  had  their  minstrels  to  lament  their  public 
sorrows,  but  the  national  elegies  of  the  Jew  alone  have 
spread  among  all  races  of  the  earth  and  remain  fresh 
after  twenty-five  centuries.  Nor  are  they  even  yet 
without  deep  and  practical  interest,  recording,  as  they 
do,  the  catastrophe  that  awaits  any  community,  however 
highly  favoured,  which  forgets  that  public  and  private 
righteousness,  alone,  secures  permanent  prosperity. 


CHAPTER  yill. 

EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  ROUND. 

THE  psalms  and  laments  in  which  Judah  sighed  over 
its  national  ruin  became  sacred  among  all  the 
widely-dispersed  race,  from  their  first  appearance,  and  at 
once  deepened  the  grief  over  the  fall  of  their  country, 
and  made  it  abiding.  But  with  tearful  regret  were 
mingled  other  feelings.  The  "  delightsome  land  "  had 
ceased  to  be  theirs ;  in  part,  as  we  have  seen,  through 
the  treachery  of  the  communities  round  it,  many  of  whom 
were  kindred  in  blood  to  the  sufferers.^ 

Edom  had  even  sent  troops  to  assist  the  Chaldeans  in 
the  siege,  and  these  had  shown  a  bitter  and  remorseless 
hostility,  greater  than  that  of  the  army  they  aided.  The 
fiercest  mutual  hatred  had,  indeed,  for  centuries,  thrust 
apart  the  brother  races  of  Jacob  and  Esau.  The 
refusal  of  a  passage  through  Mount  Seir  to  the  Hebrews, 
under  Moses,  in  their  march  from  Egypt,  nine  hundred 
years  before,  had  entailed  the  long  sufierings  of  the 
wilderness  life,  and  had  never  been  forgotten.  Fierce 
war  had  raged  between  the  two  peoples  since  the  time 
of  David's  temporary  conquest  of  Edom.  Under  Joram, 
Amaziah,  and  Uzziah,  in  succession,  it  had  been  virtually 

1  Ezek.  XXV.  3,  8,  12,  15;  xxvi.  2. 

142 


EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  ROUND.  143 

a  Jewish  province,  till  the  reign  of  the  weak  Ahaz.^  Tho 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  however,  had  at  last  given  the 
Edomites  a  chance  of  revenge,  and  they  had  indulged 
it  to  the  uttermost.  More  cruel  than  the  Chaldees,  they 
had  demanded  that  the  city  be  razed  to  its  foundations.^ 
After  the  final  assault,  they  had  eagerly  helped  to  plunder 
it,  and  had  openly  rejoiced  when  the  citizens  were  carried 
off  into  slavery,  boasting  loudly  of  their  share  in  the 
catastrophe.^  Still  worse ;  they  had  cut  off  the  retreat 
of  such  as  had  escaped  massacre  at  the  storming,  and 
were  making  their  way  to  the  friendly  shelter  of  Egypt. 
To  destroy  these,  they  had  beset  the  southern  roads, 
killing  or  taking  prisoner  as  many  fugitives  as  possible  ; 
the  captives  being  afterwards  handed  over  as  slaves  to 
the  Chaldeans.^  Nor  had  the  depopulation  of  Jerusalem 
and  Judah  contented  them.  They  had  taken  possession 
of  a  large  part  of  the  Hebrew  territory.^  No  wonder 
that,  henceforth,  an  inextinguishable  hatred,  deepening 
with  each  generation,  filled  every  Jewish  bosom  at  the 
very  name  of  Edom.^ 

A  striking  illustration  of  this  deadly  abhorrence  of  the 
race  survives  in  the  short  prophecy  of  Obadiah,  the 
briefest  of  all  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament.  We 
know  nothing  of  the  personal  history  of  the  writer,  and 
even  the  period  at  which  the  oracle  that  bears  his  name 
was  first  uttered,  has  been  disputed.  As  in  the  case  of 
Joel,  some  have  fancied  him  the  earliest  of  the  prophets  ; 
others,  the  latest;  a  lesson  enforcing  diffidence  in 
historical  criticism.     That  there  are  various  coincidences 

1  2  Sam.  viii.  14.  2  Kings  viii.  20.  2  Kings  xvi.  6.  2  Chron. 
xxviii.  17. 

2  Ps.  cxxxvii.  7.     Jer.  xxxv.  11.    Lara.  iv.  21.     Jer.  xhx. 

3  Obad.  11-13.  "  Obad.  14.  «  Ezek.  xxxvi.  5. 
*  Geikie's  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  vol.  i.  p.  246. 


144  EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  ROUND. 

with  Joel  may  be  seen  in  any  reference  Bible,  and  there 
are  passages  more  or  less  parallel  with  others  in  Jeremiah.^ 
But  we  know  how  frequently  one  prophet  borrowed  from 
another,  sometimes  indeed  from  one  whose  age  and  name 
are  unknown/  and  it  is  in  Obadiah's  case  a  question 
which  was  the  borrower.  The  omission  of  the  name  of 
the  Chaldeans,  or  the  exile  to  Babylon,  proves  nothing 
in  so  short  a  composition,  nor  can  much  stress  be  laid 
on  the  position  of  the  book  after  Amos,  in  the  Hebrew 
Bible,  since  Canticles  stands  next  after  Job,  and  Joel, 
which  the  new  critics  allege  to  be  very  late,  is  put  before 
Amos.  The  balance  of  probability  seems  strongly  in 
favour  of  the  prophecy  having  been  uttered  by  one  who 
had  seen  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  conduct 
of  Edom  which  it  denounces.^  Obadiah  may  have  been 
one  of  those  carried  off  to  Babylon,  or  possibly  he  may 
have  been  a  fugitive  in  Egypt  or  in  Phenicia  ;  in  any 
case,  he  seems  have  been  a  later  contemporary  of 
Jeremiah. 

Apart  from  the  malignity  shown  by  the  Edomites,  at 
the  final  crisis  of  the  Hebrew  state,  there  were  special 
grudges  between  the  two  races  on  subordinate  grounds. 
The  people  of  Mount  Seir,  always  vaunting  and  truculent, 
stirred  the  jealousy  of  their  brother-race.  They  boasted, 
not  without  reason,  of  the  wisdom  of  their  great  men,* 

*  See  a  reference  Bible.  ^  See  Isa.  chaps,  xv.  and  xvi. 

^  Obadiah  has  been  supposed  by  different  critics  to  have  lived 
before  Joel,  or  under  Joash,  Jehoram,  Uzziah  or  Pekah  ;  some 
even  assigning  him  so  late  a  date  as  B.C.  312.  That  widely 
separate  centuries  should  thus  have  been  honoured,  shows  the 
utter  uncertainty  oi  the  subject.  But  the  concurrence  of  such 
men  as  De  Wette,  Bleek,  Rosenmiiller  and  Ewald,  in  thinking  the 
oracle  refers  to  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  under  Nebuchadnezzar,  is 
ample  vindication  for  assuming  that  it  does  so. 

*  Obad.  8. 


EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  EOUND.  145 

and  had  all  the  iasolence  of  wealth,  secured  by  the  posi- 
tion of  their  territory  in  the  route  of  commerce  from  north 
to  south.  The  apparent  strength  of  their  position, 
moreover,  in  a  region  of  lofty  and  tangled  mountains, 
increased  their  haughtiness ;  for  their  capital,  Selah  or 
Petra,  lay  in  a  ravine,  approachable  only  by  difficult  and 
easily  defended  mountain  passes  and  narrow  gorges. 

Their  wisdom,  prosperity,  haughtiness,  and  fancied 
security,  however,  were  doomed  to  a  terrible  eclipse. 
Josephus  tells  us^  that  Nebuchadnezzar,  some  time  after 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  turned  his  arms  against 
Moab,  Ammon,  Southern  Syria  and  Edom,  and  utterly 
crushed  them  for  the  time,  though  Edom,  at  least,  sur- 
vived, as  a  vassal  territory,  under  the  Jews  and  Romans, 
till  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem.  Then,  at  last,  the  curse 
of  Obadiah  and  other  prophets  was  fulfilled. 

The  prophecy  opens  with  an  outburst  of  rejoicing  from 
the  remnant  of  the  Hebrews,  at  the  news  that  vengeance 
was  about  to  overtake  the  race  they  so  fiercely  hated. 

I  "We  heard  a  rumour  from  Jeliovah,-  a  messenger  was  sent 
among  the  nations,  to  say — "  Up,  let  us  rise  against  Edom  in 
war !  "  2  "  Behold,"  says  Jehovab,  "  I  will  make  thee  small  (0 
Edom)  among  the  nations ;  thou  shalt  be  utterly  despised. 
3  The  pride  of  thy  heart  has  deceived  thee,  thou  who  hast  thy 
dwelling  in  the  clefcs  of  the  rocks  ;  thy  seat  on  the  mountain 
heights;  ^  who  sayest  in  thy  heart,  "  Who  shall  cast  me  down  to 

*  Jos.,  Ant,  X.  ix.  7.  ^  Obadiah. 

3  The  Edomites  inhabited  the  range  of  Seir — "  the  rough  "  hills 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Arabah,  or  depression  south  of  the  Dead 
Sea.  It  stretches  south,  towards  the  Red  Sea,  in  a  succession  of 
wild  granite,  porphyry,  and  sandstone  masses,  seamed  with  count- 
less intricate  valleys,  not  even  yet  explored.  Rising  steeply  on 
the  west,  it  sinks  gradually  into  the  desert  on  the  east.  Full  of 
caves,  the  hills  were  originally  inhabited  by  the  Horites,  or  cave 
men,  but  that  race  was  driven  out  by  the  Edomites  (Deut.  ii. 
VOL.    VI.  L 


146  EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  ROUND. 

the  ground."  4  If  thou  wert  to  soar  as  high  as  the  eagle,  and  to 
set  thy  nest  among  the  very  stars,  I  wilt  hurl  thee  down  from 
thence,  says  Jehovah  ! 

Nothing  could  resist  a  foe  whom  Jehovah  had  appointed 
as  His  instrument.  Ordinary  raids  of  plundering  tribes 
might  be  beaten  off,  with  only  a  partial  loss,  but  the 
attack  of  the  terrible  Chaldean  would  bring  utter  ruin. 

5  If  a  thieving  horde ^cnme  upon  thee,  or  night-plunderers 
(attracted  by  thy  wealth), ^  they  would  carry  off  only  as  much  as 
satisfied  them  ;  ^  but  now,  alas,  how  utterly  art  thou  destroyed! 
If  grape-gatherers  came  on  thee,  would  they  not  leave  some 
gleanings  ?  6  But,  now,  how  is  Esau  searched  through  in  every 
part!     How  are  his  most  secret  chambers  ransacked! 

Chaldea  would  plunder  it  utterly,  nor  would  it  have  a 
friend  or  ally  to  help  it  in  its  distress. 

7  When  thy  fugitives  flee  from  the  invader,  to  neighbouring 
friendly  states,  all  these  tliy  allies'*  will  drive  them  back  again, 
within  their  own  borders  ;  tiie  communities  at  peace  with  thee^ 
will  betray  thee,  turning  against  thee  and  overcoming  thee  ;  thy 

12,  22).  Petra,  or  Selah,  the  capital,  consisted  mainly  of  dwellings 
hewn  out  of  the  sandstone  of  the  defile  in  which  it  lay ;  the 
many  rich  colours  of  the  rock  giving  the  whole  place  great  beauty. 
Its  ruins,  if  the  word  may  be  used,  show  splendid  temples,  and  a 
great  amphitheatre  cut  out  of  the  living  rock  ;  but  these  are  of 
a  comparatively  late  period.     See  vol.  iv.  pp.  173,  408. 

1  Obad.  5.  2  Diocl,  xix.  94,  95. 

3  Eichhorn  translates  these  lines :  "  If  thieves  or  midnight 
robbers  came  on  thee,  how  quietly  miglitest  thou  have  awaited 
them;  would  they  have  stolen  more  than  they  could  carry  off?" 
Jer.  xlix.  9,  from  which  the  verse  is  taken,  runs  thus  in  the  A.Y. 
"  If  grape-gatherers  come  to  thee,  would  they  not  have  some 
gleaning  grapes  ?  If  thieves  by  night,  they  will  destroy  till  they 
have  enough." 

*  "  Men  of  thy  league."  *  '*  Men  of  thy  peace." 


EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  ROUND.  147 

mercenaries  ^  will  spread  a  snare  for  thy  feet,  but  thou  wilt  not 
mark  it.  - 

The  boasted  wisdom  and  martial  spirit  of  Edom  were 
to  pass  away. 

8  Shall  it  not  be  in  that  day  '  says  Jehovah,  that  I  will  destroy 
(the  wisdom  of)  "  the  wise"  ■*  out  of  Edom,  and  understanding 
from  the  mount.ain  of  Esau?  9  And  thy  mighty  men,  0  Teraan, 
shall  be  dismayed  (by  the  want  of  counsel),  that  every  man  may 
be  cut  off  from  the  mount  of  Esau  by  the  sword.  ^ 

Their  hostility  to  Jacob — the  Hebrew  people — has 
deserved  no  happier  fate. 

10  For  thy  wicked  dealing  towards  thy  brother  Jacob,^  shame 
will  cover  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  destroyed  for  ever.  1 1  In  the 
day  when  thou  stoodest  over  against  us,  while  aliens  carried  away 
his  substance,  and  the  barbarian  pressed  through  his  gates  and 
cast  the  lot  on  Jerusalem,  (to  share  its  plunder  and  prisoners), 
thou  wast  like  one  of  them.  12  Thou  shouldst  not  have  feasted'^ 
thine  eyes  on  the  (evil)  day  of  thy  brother,  the  day  of  his 
calamity;  neither  shouldst  thou  have  rejoiced  over  the  sons  of 
Judah,  in  the  day  of  their  destruction;  neither  shouldst  thou  have 
opened  thy  mouth  bitterly  in  the  day  of  their  distress.  13  Thou 
shouldst  not  have  pressed  through  the  gate  of  My  people  in  the 
day  of  their  trouble,  nor  have  feasted  thine  eyes  on  their  misery 
in  the  day  of  their  calamity,  nor  have  laid  thy  hand  on  their  sub- 
stance in  the  day  of  their  affection.  14  Neither  shouldst  thou 
have  stood  at  the  crossroads  to  kill  those  that  had  escaped  (from 
the  Chaldean),  nor  have  given  up  the  fugitives  to  their  foe,  in 
the  hour  of  their  anguish. 

^  The  Heb.  has  only  "thy  bread,"  but  "men  of"  seems  to  be 
understood  from  the  preceding  clause.  By  men  eating  the  bread 
of  Edom,  only  mercenaries  can  be  meant.  The  passage  is  very 
obscure. 

2  Lit,  "  there  is  no  noticing  of  it."  ^  Obad.  8. 

*  Eliphaz,  the  chief  disputant  with  Job,  was  a  Temanite.  Job 
ii.  11.     Gen.  xxxvi.  15,  34.  *  Lit.,  "by  slaughter." 

6  Obad.  10.  7  Lit.,  "  do  not." 


148  EDOM   AND    THE    NATIONS    ROUND. 

15  For  tlie  day  of  Jehovali  is  near  for  all  nations.  As  you  have 
done,  it  shall  be  done  to  you ;  your  work  will  be  paid  back  on 
your  own  head  !  16  For  as  you,  sons  of  Judah,  have  drunk ^  the 
cup  of  My  wrath,  on  My  holy  mountain,  so  shall  all  the  nations 
drink  it  henceforth ;  they  shall  drink  and  swallow  it  down,  and 
be  as  if  they  had  never  been. 

Like  all  the  other  prophets,  Obadiah  sees  light  even  in 
tlie  darkest  sky.  His  people  may  have  been  crushed  for 
the  time,  but  they  are  the  heirs  of  the  immortal  kingdom 
of  God,  and  that  will,  one  day,  once  more,  be  gloriously 
established  on  Zion. 

17  But  on  Movmt  Zion^  shall  be  a  place  of  escape,  and  it  shall 
he  a  sanctuary,  and  the  House  of  Jacob  will  (once  more)  enter  into 
their  possessions.  18  And  the  House  of  Jacob  will  be  a  fire  and 
the  House  of  Joseph  a  flame,  and  the  House  of  Esau  will  be 
stubble  (before  them),  and  they  shall  set  it  on  fire  and  consume 
it :  Jehovah  has  spoken. 

The  Hebrews — both  Jacob  and  Joseph — will  be  vic- 
torious on  all  sides. 

19  And  they  of  the  south  country — the  Negeb — will  take 
possession  of  the  mountains  of  Esau,  and  they  of  the  Shephelah 
— the  hill  slopes  over  the  maritime  plain— will  take  the  land  of 
the  Philistines;  and  they  will  take  the  Ephraim  country^  and 
the  land  of  Samaria,  and  Benjamin  will  get  possession  of  Gilead, 
(beyond  the  Jordan). 

20  And  the  captives  of  their  host  of  the  sons  of  Israel  (who 
will  then  have  returned),  will  take  the  land  of  the  Canaanites, 
as  far  as   Sarepta,  ■*  and  the  captives  of  Jerusalem  who  are   at 

^  Kleinert  and  Keil  render  this  passage:  "For  as  you  (Edo- 
mites),  have  held  your  carousings  on  My  holy  mountain,"  etc. 
But  this  seems  hardly  so  good  as  the  sense  given  in  the  text. 

2  Obad.  17-21. 

*  Hill  country,  Sept. 

^  Zarephath  =  Sarepta — the  present  Surafend,  between  Tyre  and 
Sidon,  on  the  coast.  1  Kings  xvii.  9. 


EDOM    AND   THE    NATIONS    KOUND.  149 

Sepliarad,'  will  take  possession  of  the  cities  of  the  south  country.^ 
21  And  deliverers  will  rise  up  on  Mount  Zion,  to  judge  ihe 
mountain  of  Esau,  ^  and  the  kingdom  will  be  Jehovah's. 

Thus  spoke  Obadiah,  repeating  in  effect,  the  curse 
denounced  against  Idumea  by  Amos'*  and  Isaiah/  about 
200  and  150  years,  respectively,  before  the  Chaldean 
destruction  of  Jerusalem.  But  the  indignation  in  Judah 
excited  by  the  cruel  desertion  of  the  nations  pledged  to 
support  her  in  her  final  struggle,  and  especially  by  the 
base  malignity  of  Edom,  stirred  the  hearts  of  his  brother 
prophets  no  less  strongly.  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  widely 
apart  as  they  were,  felt  alike  towards  the  betrayers  of 
their  people,  and  launched  equally  terrible  utterances 
against  them.  It  is  impossible  in  all  cases  to  fix  the 
exact  dates  of  these  prophecies,  but  those  of  Jeremiah  at 
least,  from  his  age,  ^  must  have  been  spoken  very  soon 
after  his  countrymen  had  been  carried  ofi"  to  Babylon. 
The  doom  of  Edom,  pronounced  by  him  in  tbe  name  of 
Jehovah,  was  terrible. 

^  Sephnrad.  Graetz  would  read  Arad  :  ay)lace  on  the  Plienician 
coast.  Keil  thinks  of  Sparta :  others,  suppose  Sardis  meant, 
since  it  is  called  Se{)liarad  (C  P  a  R  a  D)  in  old  Persian  inscrip- 
tions. But  Schrader  very  justly  hesitates  to  accept  this,  on 
various  grounds,  and  looks  rather  to  Babylonia,  where  the  locality 
may  one  day  be  identified.     Keilinschriften,  p.  2S5. 

2  The  :Negeb. 

'  The  overthrow  of  Edom  by  the  Chaldeans  is  implied  in  Jer. 
xlix.  7  ;  Ezek.  xxxv.,  comp.  Jer.  xxv.  9,  21,  and  Mai.  i.  3.  John 
Hyrcaniis  finally  crushed  the  Edomites  and  compelled  them  to 
submit  to  circumcision,  B.C.  129,  Jos,,  Ant.,  XIII.  i.\'.  1 ;  Alex.mder 
Jannaeus  subdued  the  last  of  their  clans  (Jos.,  Ant.,  XIII.  xv.  4.) 
and  Rome  finally  de.-troyed  the  nation.     Jos.,  Bell.  Jud.,  IV.  ix.  7. 

^  Amos  i.  11.     Vol.  iv.  p.  196. 

5  Isa.  xxxiv.  1-17.     Vol.  iv.  p.  405. 

•  Jeremiah  was  between  60  and  70  at  the  taking  of  Jerusalem. 


150  EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  ROUND. 

7  Concerning  Edom — it  began — thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts  :  * 
Is  there  no  longer  wisdom  in  Teman  ?  ^  Has  sound  counsel 
perished  from  the  understanding  ones?  Has  their  wisdom 
vanished  ?  8  Flee !  turn !  seek  the  deep  caves  of  your  hills  for 
dwellings,  (or  the  depths  of  the  desert),  ye  inhabitants  of  Dedan,^ 
for  I  am  about  to  bring  on  Esau  his  destruction :  the  time  of  his 
visitation!  9  If  grape-gatherers  came  to  thee,  would  they  not 
leave  some  gleanings  ?  if  a  thieving  horde,  by  night,  they  would 
take  only  what  they  could  carry  ofT.*  10  But  I  will  strip  Esau 
bare ;  I  will  lay  open  his  secret  places,  so  that  he  shall  not  be 
able  to  hide  himself.  His  seed  shall  be  spoiled,  and  his  brethren, 
tlie  related  tribes,  his  neighbours,  will  perish.^  11  (Thy  men 
having  all  been  destroyed),  leave  thy  fatherless  children  (0  Edom); 
I  will  preserve  them  alive;  and  let  thy  widows  trust  in  Mel 
12  For  thus  saith  Jehovah,  Behold,  those  to  whom  it  belonged 
not  to  drink  the  cup  (of  My  wrath — My  own  people)  must  drink 
it,  and  shalt  thou  go  unpunished  ?  Thou  shalt  not  go  unpunished, 
but  drink  it  thou  shalt!  13  For  I  have  sworn  by  Myself,  says 
Jehovah,  that  Bozrali  ^  shall  become  a  horror,  a  contempt,  a 
desolation,  and  a  curse,  and  all  its  towns  shall  be  perpetual 
wastes.  ^ 

The  destruction  of  Edom  being  a  righteous  judgment 
from  Jehovah,  the  prophet  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  com- 
mand to  the  Chaldeans  to  invade  it  as  coming  from 
above, 

14  I  have  heard  a  rumour  which  is  from  Jehovah;^  a  messenger 
has  been  sent  to  the  nations,  saying,  "  Assemble  and  come  against 
it;  arise  to  war!"  15  For,  lo,  I  will  make  thee  small  among 
the  nations,  (0  Edom  !),  and  despised  among  men.  16  The  fear 
of  thee,  ^  and  the  pride  of  thy  heart,  have  deceived  thee,  O  thou 


1  Jer.  xlix.  7-13.    The  resemblances  to  Obadiah  are  to  be  noted. 

2  See  vol.  V.  p.  361.  ^  yoj.  i.  p.  243. 
^  What  was  enough,  to  them. 

*  Lit.,  "are  gone,"  or  "  he  is  gone."     ^  Vol.  iv.  p.  406. 
?  Dry  places,  or  deserts.  »  Jer.  xlix.  14-22. 

'  Lit.,  "  thy  terribleness." 


EDOM    AND    THE    NATIONS    ROUND.  151 

who  dvvellest  in  clefts  of  the  rocks,  ^  and  sittest  fast  on  the 
heights  of  the  hills.^  Though  thou  buildest  thy  nest  high  as  the 
eagle,  I  will  drag  thee  down  from  thence,  saith  Jehovah,  17  and 
Edom  shall  be  a  fear-inspiring  desolation !  Every  one  who  passes 
by  it  will  be  dismayed,^  and  will  hiss,  (in  scorn  and  mockery),  at 
all  the  strokes  it  has  borne.  18  As  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  and 
their  neighbour  towns,  were  destroyed  utterly,  saith  Jehovah,  so 
no  man  will  dwell  in  Edom  any  more :  no  man  will  sojourn  in  it. 

The  ascent  of  the  Edomite  hills  by  the  invader  is  now 
described. 

19  Behold!  he  will  come  up  (against  thy  hill  cities),  as  a  lion 
comes  up  from  the  thickets  of  the  bed  of  the  Jordan,  against  the 
flocks  on  the  rock  pastures  of  the  Negeb,"*  and  I  will  make  Edom 
run  forthwith  (like  a  scattered  flock)  from  her  rocks,  and  I  will 
appoint  over  it  him  who  is  chosen  (by  Me).  For  who  is  My  equal, 
and  who  will  challenge  My  doings?  And  who  is  the  shepherd 
(or  leader  of  men)  who  will  stand  before  Me  ? 

20  Therefore,  hear  the  decree  of  Jehovah,  that  He  has  made 
against  Edom,  and  His  purposes  that  He  has  purposed  against 
the  inhabitants  of  Teman.^  Yerily,  they  shall  drive  them  before 
them — weak  ones  of  tlie  flock  as  they  are  !  Verily  their  pasture 
itself  will  be  dismayed  at  them.*  21  The  earth  trembles  at  the  noise 
of  their  downfall  ;  a  cry  will  rise,  the  sound  of  which  will  be  heard 
even  to  the  Red  Sea."  22  Behold,  the  invader  will  mount  up,  and 
fly,  and  spread  out  his  wings  like  an  eagle,  over  Bozrah,  and  the 

*  See  p.  145.     The  word  for  "  rock  "  is  Selah— a  name  of  Petra. 
'  Both  Selah  or  Petra,  and  Bozrah,  are  at  a  great  elevation 

above  the  sea  level. 

3  The  noun  and  the  verb  in  these  sentences  are  the  same- 
dismayed  may  therefore  be  read  "  filled  with  terror,  or  fear." 

*  Wilton's  Negeb,  p.  43. 

*  Wilton  shows,  from  Josh.  xv.  1,  that  Teman  must  have  been 
the  northern  part  of  the  range  of  Seir,  next  Judah.  The  Negeb, 
p.  123. 

*  This  passage  is  repeated  in  chap.  1.  45. 

^  Lit,  "  The  weedy  sea."  Edom  extended  to  the  Red  Sea  in 
the  days  of  her  glory.    1  Kings  ix.  26. 


152  EDOM    AND    THE    NATIONS    EOUND. 

heart  of  the  mighty  men,  in  that  day,  will  be  like  the  heart  of  a 
woman  in  her  trouble  ! 

Not  less  sternly  did  the  curse  against  Edom  sound 
from  the  banks  of  the  Chebar.  Ezekiel  proclaims  it 
in  few  but  terrible  words. 

12  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,^  Because  Edom  has  taken 
revenge  on  Judah,  and  made  herself  greatly  guilty  by  doing  so  : 
J3  Thetefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  I  will  stretch  out  My 
hand  against  Edom,  and  root  out  man  and  beast  fjom  it,  and 
make  it  a  desert ;  from  Teman  (in  the  north)  to  Dedan  (in  the 
:south),  they  shall  fall  by  the  sword.  14  I  will  carry  out  My 
revenge  on  Edom,  by  the  hand  of  My  people  Israel.^  It  will  fare 
with  Edom  accoiding  to  My  anger  and  My  fierce  wrath,  and  they 
shall  know  My  revenge  !  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

Edom,  however,  did  not  stand  alone  as  the  object  of 
the  denunciations  of  the  prophets ;  all  the  peoples  who 
had  betrayed  Judah  and  vented  their  hatred  against  her, 
were  alike  condemned.^  Calamities  terrible  as  those  of 
Jerusalem  were  to  come  upon  all  its  neighbours  in  turn. 

The  doom  of  the  Philistines  pronounced  by  Jeremiah 
opens  with  a  figure  suggested  by  the  great  river  Eu- 
phrates, on  which  Babylon  stood.  The  awful  power  of 
the  Chaldeans  is  compared  to  an  overwhelming  flood, 
coming  from  the  North. 

2  Thus  saiih  Jehovah:*  Behold,  waters  rise  from  the  north* 
and  swell  to  a  flood,  overflowing  the  river  banks,  and  will  de- 
luge the  open  countiy  and  all  in  it,  the  town  and  its  inhabitants; 

1  Ezek.  XXV.  12-14.  2  gee  p.  148. 

3  Though  not  expressly  stated,  it  is  in  itself  probable  that  the 
Philistines  had  taken  advantage  of  the  sore  straits  of  Judah  to 
gratify  their  haired  of  her.  Ezek.  xvi.  27-57.  Amos  i.  6.  Isa.  ix. 
11 ;  xi.  14.    Zeph.  ii.  5.    Obad.  19.     Joel  iv.  4.     Zech.  ix.  5. 

4  jer.  xlvii.  1-7. 

*  In  Isa,  xlvi.  8  the  same  figure  is  nsed  of  the  Assyrian  army. 


EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  ROUND.  153 

and  the  men  will  lament  aloud  ;  all  the  people  of  the  land  will 
shriek  in  terror.  3  At  the  loud  beating  of  the  hoofs  of  his  war- 
horses,  at  the  bounding  of  his  chariots,  at  the  rattling  of  their 
wheels,  the  fathers,  (in  their  flight),  will  not  look  back  to  their 
children,  (to  save  them);  so  terror-stricken  will  they  be  ^  4  be- 
cause of  tlie  day  which  then  comes  to  destroy  all  the  Philistines, 
and  cut  otf  from  Tyre  and  Sidon  every  one  left  to  help  them.^ 
For  Jehovah  will  destroy  the  Philistines — the  remnant  of  the 
people  who  came  from  Caphtor.  5  Baldness  (the  sign  of  mourn- 
ing)^ has  come  on  Gaza;  Askelon  is  destroyed,  and  the  rest  of 
the  Philistine  plain.'*  How  long  (0  Philistia)  wilt  thou  cut  thy- 
self (for  sorrow  !)^ 

6  0  thou  sword  of  Jeliovah,  how  long  wilt  thou   not  cease? 


^  Lit.,  "  the  powerless  of  their  hands  will  be  such." 

'  The  Philistines  hired  themselves  out  as  mercenaries. 

^  Jer.  xvi.  6. 

•*  Tlie  word  is  Aiinek  —  a  long  broad  sweep,  like  the  Plain 
of  Esdiaelon  or  the  Gbor  of  the  Jordan.  The  Sept.  has  ''  the 
remnant  of  the  Anakim."  Num.  xiii.  33.  Deut.  ii.  10.  1  Sam. 
xvii.  4.  1  Chron.  xx.  5-8.  For  '*  the  Philistine  "  in  the  text,  the 
Hebrew  has  "  their." 

In  vol.  i.  pp.  247,  355,  Caphtor  is  identified  with  the  island  of 
Crete.  Later  Egyptian  researches  have,  however,  proved  that 
the  word  means  "  the  greater  Phenicia,"  which,  in  Egyptian  is 
expressed  by  the  words  *'  Keft  ui*."  From  an  early  period  the 
whole  coast  of  the  Delta  had  been  settled  by  Phenicians,  and 
was  hence  called  by  the  Egyptians  Keft-ur ;  the  Caphtor  of  the 
Bible.  The  Philistines  are  however  often  spoken  of  as  Cretans. 
Ezek.  XNV.  16.  Though  Phenicians,  they  may  have  come  to  the 
Delta  from  Crete,  from  which  the  name  Crethi,  apparently^  ap- 
plied to  them,  may  be  taken.  1  Sara.  viii.  18  ;  xv.  18  ;  xx.  7,  23. 
1  Kings  xxxviii.  44.  1  Chron.  xviii.  17.  Eber's  JEgijpten  und 
die  B  Musis,  p.  131.  Sayce's  Fresh  Light  from  Anct.  Monuments, 
pp.  47,  87. 

*  The  "  remnant  "  of  Philistia,  for  it  is  only  a  remnant,  Psam- 
metichus  having  sorely  weakened  them  by  his  long  siege  of 
Ashdod  {Herod.,  ii.  157),  sit  in  deep  grief,  like  women  who  pull 
out  their  hair,  and,  in  agonizing  despair,  cut  themselves,  as  was 
their  custom  in  such  cases.     Jer.  xvi.  6;  xlviii.  37. 


154  EDOM    AND    THE    NATIONS    ROUND. 

Back  to  thy  scabbard  !  Rest !  Be  still !  7  Bat  how  can  it  rest, 
since  Jehovah  has  given  it  a  mission  against  Askelon  and  the 
sea  coast  (of  Philistia)  ?     There  has  He  given  it  its  charge  ! 

Far  away,  in  Babylonia,  Ezekiel  repeated  a  similar 
malediction. 

15  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah,^  because  the  Philistines  acted 
revengefully,  and  wreaked  that  revenge  with  foul  contempfc,^  to 
destroy  Judab,  in  their  long-standing  enmity ;  16  Therefore,  thus 
says  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Behold,  I  will  stretch  out  My  hand  over 
the  Philistines,  and  I  will  cut  off  the  Cretans,^  and  destroy  the 
remnant  of  them  that  is  on  the  sea-coast.  17  And  I  will  take  a 
great  revenge  on  them  with  fierce  chastisements,  and  they  shall 
know  that  I  am  Jehovah,  when  I  bring  my  revenge  upon  them. 

Moab,  among  other  kingdoms,  was  the  object  of  fierce 
denunciations.  Isaiah  had  prophesied  its  doom  long 
before,  perhaps  in  the  words  of  a  still  older  seer.*  Jere- 
miah, as  Balaam,  Amos,  and  others,  had  done,  from  the 
time  of  Moses,  now  lifted  up  his  voice  proclaiming  its 
approaching  destruction.  But  since  the  reign  of  Mesa 
and  the  death  of  Ahab,  with  a  brief  interval  during  the 
reign  of  Jeroboam  II.,  the  doomed  land  had  enjoyed 
independence,  and  instead  of  paying  tribute  to  the  He- 
brews had  harried  their  borders  remorselessly.^  Jeremiah 
now,  however,  sees  it  at  last  utterly  destroyed. 

I  Eespecting  Moab ;  ^  thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  the  God  of 
Israel ;    Woe  to  Nebo  ^  for  it  is  laid  waste :    Kiriathaim,   "  the 

1  Ezek.  XXV.  15-17. 

2  The  word  comes  from  a  root,  meaning  "  to  stink." 

3  Lit.  Cherethim,  or  Crethi.     1  Sam.  xxx.  14.     Zeph.  ii.  5. 
■*  Isa.  chaps,  xv.  and  xvi. 

5  2  Kings  xiii.  20.  ^  Jer.  xlviii.  1-8. 

"  Nebo.  The  highest  peak  of  the  Abarim  range  near  the  north 
end  of  the  Dead  Sea,  but  also  the  name  of  a  town  in  Moab,  or 
rather  in  the  territory  of  Keuben  (Num.  xxxii.  38),  held,  in  the 


EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  EOUND.  155 

double  town  "  ^  is  put  to  shame,  is  taken  :  Misgab,  "  the  citadel  on 
the  height,"  is  put  to  shame  and  broken  down.-  2  The  boasting 
of  Moab  is  gone  !  In  Heslibon  tliey  ^  plot  evil  against  the  land  : 
"  Come,  let  us  cut  it  ofiP  from  being  a  nation " !  Thou,  also, 
Madmenah,"*  wilt  be  brought  to  silence;  the  sword  will  pursue 
thee.  3  Hark  !  a  cry  from  Horonaim,*  "  spoiling  and  huge  de- 
struction "  !  4  Moab  is  broken  to  pieces;  the  towns,  her  little 
ones,  cause  their  cry  to  be  heard  to  Zoar.^  They  go  up  the 
ascent  of  Luhith  with  weeping;  in  the  descent  of  Horonaim  the 
wail  is  heard  over  the  ruin  that  has  come  on  them.  5  Flee,  save 
your   lives,   like    him    who   escapes,  naked,   to   the    wilderness. 

6  Because  thou  trustedst  in  thy  strongholds  and  in  thy  treasures, 
thou  shall  be  taken  (in  war)  and  Cheraosh,^  thy  god,  shall  wander 
forth   into  captivity ;    his  priests    and  his   princes  with   him ! 

7  And  the  spoiler  shall  come  up  upon  every  town,  not  one  shall 

prophet's  day,  by  Moab.  It  was  taken  by  Mesa  about  B.C.  895. 
The  word  is  derived  by  Hitzig  from  the  Sanscrit,  and  rendered 
by  him,  "  the  cloudy  heaven  ;  "  and  hence  there  was  a  god  Nebo, 
after  whom  the  town  of  the  name  was  called.  Sayce,  however, 
derives  Nebo  from  Nabi,  "  a  prophet,"  as  if  in  remembrance  of 
one  of  the  order  in  ancient  times. 

*  Kirjathaim,  the  modern  Kureiyat.  The  latter,  like  Nebo,  lay 
on  the  east  edge  of  the  upland  plateau,  and  the  two  thus  stand 
for  the  tableland  generally. 

2  Misgab  =  the  height,  the  citadel.  De  Saulcy  writing  of  the 
neighbourhood  of  Kureiyat,  speaks  of  extensive  ancient  ruins, 
and  a  circular  enclosure,  constructed  with  very  large  stones,  and 
crowning  the  summit  of  a  high  clifif.     Vol.  i.  pp.  546-555. 

3  The  invading  Chaldeans. 

^  A  district  of  Moab  famous  for  its  rich  soil.  Hitzig,  2Qd  ed., 
translates  "  Madmen  "  as  in  Isa.  xxv.  10,  "  dunghill  " ;  and  makes 
the  clause  apply  to  Heshbon — "  yea,  to  dungheaps  wilt  thou  be 
brought."  The  corpses  of  the  slain  will  lie  rotting  on  the  face  of 
the  earth. 

*  Lit.,  "  the  two  caves,"  a  town  of  Moab. 
«  Sept.    Ewald.    Graf. 

'  The  national  god  of  Moab.  This  being  the  only  god  anywhere 
mentioned  in  connection  with  Moab,  the  nation  would  seem  to 
have  been  practically  monotheists. 


156  EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  EGUND. 

escape  ;  the  lowland  '  shall  be  ruined  and  the  table  land  ^  be  laid 
waste,  as  Jehovah  has  spoken. 

9  Give  Moab  wings  ^  that  it  may  fly  off  and  get  away,  (like  a 
bird  scared  from  its  nest),  for  her  cities  shall  be  made  an  un- 
inhabited desolation.  lo  Cursed  be  he  who  does  the  work  of 
Jehovah  slackly  ;  cursed  be  he  who  holds  back  his  sword  from 
blood.  1 1  Moab  has  remained  from  his  youth  undisturbed ;  he 
has  lain  still,  (in  his  country,  like  wine)  on  its  lees ;  he  has  not 
been  emptied  from  vessel  to  vessel— that  is,  he  has  not  gone 
away  into  captivity  (but  has  enjoyed  prosperity),  and  hence  his 
taste  has  remained  in  him,  and  his  fragrance  is  not  changed.^ 
Therefore  behold  days  come,  says  Jehovah,  that  will  send  to  liim 
those  who  will  turn  him  on  his  side  (as  they  do  wine  jars),  and 
pour  him  out,  emptying  his  wine  jars,  and  shattering  his  flagons. 
13  And  Moab  shall  be  ashamed  of  Chemosh,  as  the  children  of 
Israel  were  ashamed  of  Bethel,^  their  confidence. 

14  (Wben  it  will  then  happen  with  you  as  with  the  weak  and 
unwarlike)  how  will  you  be  able  to  say  (any  longer),  "  We  are 
mighty  men  and  strong  for  war"?  15  Moab  is  wasted;  his 
cities  have  gone  up  in  smoke  and  flame,'  and  his  chosen  young 
men  are  led  like  sheep  to  the  slaughter-block,  says  the  King, 
whose  name  is  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

16  The  destruction  of  Moab  ^  is  near  at  hand,  his  calamity 
hastens  fast.  17  All  ye,  his  neighbours,  bewail  him,  and  all  ye 
who  know  his  name  say,  "  How  is  the  sceptre  of  might  broken, 
the  rod  of  power."     18  Come  down  from  thy  glory,  thou  daughter, 

^  Aimek — the  broad  sweeps  of  valley  between  hills,  including 
perhaps  the  Ghor  of  the  Jordan.     See  p.  153. 

2  The  Mishor==  upland  downs,  without  rock  or  stones. 

3  Jer.  xlviii.  9-15. 

■*  To  remain  on  its  lees  improved  wine;  to  be  emptied  from 
vessel  to  vessel  made  it  tasteless  and  without  fragrance.  Its 
taste  and  smell  were  benefited  and  preserved  if  it  were  not  poured 
off  its  lees. 

»  Moab  remained  the  same  in  its  feelings  to  other  nations — 
liarsh  and  bitter. 

6  The  calf  gods  of  Bethel. 
.    7  Or  "the  spoiler  has  gone  up  to  his  cities." 

8  Jer.  xlviii.  16-25. 


EDOM    AND    THE    NATIONS    EOUND.  157 

inhabitress  of  (well-watered)  Dibon,^  and  sit  thirsty  on  the 
ground,  (captives,  waiting  to  be  led  away),  for  the  spoiler  of  Moab 
shall  come  upon  thee  ;  he  shall  destroy  thy  strongholds.  19  Stand 
out  in  the  road,  0  inhabitant  ^  of  Aroer,  and  look;  ask  him  that 
is  fleeing,  and  him  that  has  escaped,  "  What  has  happened?" 
20  Moab  is  put  to  shame  ;  yea,  it  is  overthrown  ;  howl  and  cry; 
tell  it  iti  Arnon  that  Moab  is  laid  waste!  21  The  judgment  (of 
God)  has  come  on  the  uplands  ;3  on  Holon  and  Jahazah  and 
Mephiiath,  22  and  Dibon,and  Nebo,  andBeth-diblathaim,  23  and 
Kiriathaim,  and  Beth-gamnl,  and  Beth-meon,  24  and  Kerioth, 
and  Bozrah,^  and  on  all  the  towns  of  the  land  of  Moab,  far  and 
near.  25  The  horn  of  Moab  is  cut  off,  and  his  arm  is  shattered, 
says  Jehovah  ! 

The  enemy  to  whom  it  is  committed  to  carry  out  tlie 
judgments  of  God  is  now  invoked.  He  is  to  hand  to 
Moab  the  cup  of  the  Divine  wrath,  and  make  it  drunken, 
till  it  reels  and  falls,  the  derision  of  those  around.^  Its 
pride  against  Jehovah,  in  despising  Israel,  and  the  vio- 

^  "Ye  inhabitants  of  Dibon."  For  a  notice  of  the  towns  men- 
tioned in  this  prophecy,  see  vol.  iv.  pp.  97-103. 

2  Feminine  in  the  Heb.  for  all  the  populations. 

3  Lit.,  "  the  land  of  the  Mishor."  As  in  verse  8.  See  vol.  ii. 
p.  374. 

'*  Of  these  towns,  Dibon  lay  three  miles  north  of  the  Arnon  ; 
Aroer  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Arnon,  so  that  it  was  on 
the  boundary  between  the  Hebrew  territory  and  that  of  Moab, 
but  at  this  time  Moab  held  a  large  part  of  the  land  formerly 
enjoyed  by  the  tribes  beyond  Jordan.  Holon  is  mentioned  only 
here,  Jahazah  seems  to  have  lain  to  the  east  of  the  country, 
on  the  edge  of  the  wilderness,  and  Mephaath  was  near  it.  Beth- 
diblathaim  was  perhaps  north  of  Dibon.  Beth-gamul  is  only 
mentioned  here,  and  its  position  is  unknown.  Beth-meon  was 
apparently  near  Heshbou.  Kerioth  is  a  synonym  of  Ar,  or  Kir, 
the  old  capital  of  Moab.  The  plural  form  Kerioth  may  imply 
that  it  included  two  or  more  contiguous  towns.  Bozrah  is  not 
identified.  The  word  means  "  sheepfolds,"  a  fitting  name  for 
small  communities  on  'these  upland  pastures. 

^  See  a  similar  figure,  chap.  xxv.  15. 


158  EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  EOUND. 

lence  done  to  the  people  of  God,  by  seiziag  on  their  in- 
heritance beyond  Jordan,  and  cheering  on  the  Chaldeans 
in  their  attack  on  Jerusalem,  have  brought  on  the  offender 
this  fierce  indignation. 

26  Make  ye  him  drunken,'  for  he  has  acted  haughtily  against 
Jehovah;  (make  him  drunken)  till  he  fall  into-  his  own  vomit, 
and  himself  become  a  derision  as  he  made  Israel.  27  Was  not 
Israel  a  derision  to  thee,  and,  yet,  was  such  a  fate  deserved — 
as  if  he  had  been  found  among  thieves  ?  (Thou  conldsb  not  have 
treated  him  with  more  contempt  had  he  been  so),  for  as  often 
as  thou  speakest  of  him  thou  tossest  thy  head  (in  scorn). ^ 
28  Abandon  your  towns  and  make  your  home  in  the  clefts  of  the 
rock,  ye  inhabitants  of  Moab,  and  be  like  the  doves  which  build 
their  nest  at  the  mouth  of  the  hill  caves.^  29  We  (of  Judah) 
have  heard  of  the  pride  of  Moab,  for  he  is  insolent  exceedingly — 
his  haughtiness,  his  arrogance,  his  lofty  airs,  and  the  supercilious- 
ness of  his  heart  (are  known  to  us).  30  Even  I  (also)  know 
his  insolence,  says  Jehovah,  and  the  hollowness  of  his  boasting;  ^ 
the  lies  that  he  has  uttered.  31  Therefore,  (at  the  thought  of 
the  judgment  coming  on  him  for  these),  I  shriek  in  sorrow  for 
Moab,  I  cry  aloud  for  all  its  land.  There  shall  be  moaning 
for  the  men  of  Kir-heres.^  32  O  Vine  of  Sebmah,  I  will  weep  for 
thee  more  than  Jazer  will  (over  the  wreck  of  its  homes  and  vine- 

1  Jer.  xlviii.  26-35. 

^  Lit.,  ''  splash  into,"  so  as  to  sound  like  the  beating  of  the 
hands. 

3  Matt,  xxvii.  39. 

4  Keil  translates  this  phrase,  "  over  the  yawning  abyss,"  fol- 
lowing Hitzig.  But  the  word  for  "  abyss  "  is  from  a  root,  "  to 
bore  through,"  "  to  pierce,"  and  thus  suits  a  cave  better  than  a 
precipice.  In  verses  43,  44,  it  occurs  three  times,  and  is  rendered 
in  each,  "pit" — apparently  a  concealed  cistern  or  grain  pit.  But 
in  the  text  it  must  mean  a  cave,  since  doves  breed  in  such 
recesses,  not  in  pits. 

«  Or,  "babbling." 

^  Tlie  chief  stronghold  of  Moab.  The  Kirhareseth  and  Kir- 
haresh  of  Isa.  xvi.  7, 11,  also  called  Kir  of  Moab  and  Kirkhu;  see 
the  Moabite  Stone.     Now  Kerak. 


EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  EOUND.  159 

yards);  thy  shoots  reached  over  the  sea,  tliey  reached  even  to 
the  water  of  Jazer.^  Tlie  spoiler  ■will  fall  on  thy  fruit  harvest 
and  on  thy  vintage.  ;^^  Joy  and  gladness  are  taken  from  the 
Carmel-like  field,  so  richly  frnitful,  and  from  the  (whole)  land  of 
Moab,  and  I  will  cause  the  wine  to  fail  from  the  wine-vats;  no 
one  will  tread  them  with  joyful  cry  ;  their  shouting  will  be  no 
shouting  for  gladness,  (but  the  cry  of  war).  34  The  cry  of 
Heshbon  is  heard  at  Elealeh,  (two  miles  off);  its  voice  sounds  even 
to  Jahaz  ;  ^  the  cry  of  Zoar  reaches  to  Horonaim  and  the  third 
Eglath,^  for  even  the  waters  of  Nimrim  ■*  shall  be  made  a  waste. 
35  And  I  will  destroy  from  Moab,  says  Jehovah,  him  that  goeth 
up  to  a  high-place  and  burns  incense  to  his  gods. 

Another  outburst  of  lameut  over  tlie  ruin  of  Moab 
follows. 

36  For  this,  my  heart  wails  ®  like  mourning  flutes,  for  Moab; 
my  heart  wails  like  mourning  flutes,  forthemen  of  Kir-hares;  for 
the  abundance  they  had  saved  is  perished.  27  For  every  head  is 
bald  and  every  beard  shaven  (in  mourning) ;  slashes  are  cut  on 
all  arms  in  grief,^  and  sackcloth  is  on  the  loins.  38  Loud  shrieks 
rise  from  all  the  house-roofs  '  of  Moab  and  in  her  public  places, 
for  I  have  broken  Moab  in  pieces,  says  Jehovah,  like  a  vessel  in 
which  one  has  no  pleasure. 

*  Sebmah  was,  according  to  St.  Jerome,  only  600  paces  from 
Heshbon.  Jazer  was  15  miles  north  of  it.  "The  sea"  is  the 
Dead  Sea.     The  fame  of  the  vines  of  Jazer  was  widely  spread. 

2  Much  farther  off,  to  the  south-west. 

3  This  is  Ewald,  Graf,  and  Keil's  reading,  on  the  assumption 
that  there  were  three  towns  of  that  name. 

^  "  This  is  a  rich  verdant  spot  at  the  south-east  end  of  the  Dead 
Sea.  It  still  bears  the  Arab  name  of  Nimeirah,  and  here,  too, 
we  found  traces  of  the  leopard." — Dr.  Tristram.  "  Nahr  Nim- 
rim  *'  means  "  the  stream  of  the  leopards." 

5  Jer.  xlviii.  36-38. 

^  "  It  was  a  custom  among  the  ancients,  and  is  still  common 
among  the  Jews,  that  they  cut  their  arms,  etc.,  in  their  grief." 
Jerome,  on  Jer.  xvi.  6. 

'  They  were  flat. 


1(30  EDOM    AND    THE    NATIONS    KOUND. 

There  will  be  no  escape  from  the  destruction ! 

39  They  shall  shriek  aloud,  ^  **  Oh !  how  is  our  land  rained ! 
How  has  Moab  turned  her  back  with  shame  !  "  Thus  will  Moab 
be  a  mockery  and  a  dismay  to  all  his  neighbours.  40  For  thus 
says  Jehovah,  Behold  the  enemy  shall  swoop  down  like  an  eagle, 
and  spread  out  his  wings  over  Moab.  41  Kerioth  ^  is  taken;  the 
strongholds  are  captured,  and  the  hearts  of  the  mighty  men  of 
]\[oab  are  become,  in  that  day,  like  the  heart  of  a  woman  in  her 
trouble.  42  And  Moab  will  be  destroyed  from  being  a  people, 
because  he  has  magnified  himself  against  Jehovah.  43  Fear,  and 
the  pit,  and  the  snare,  are  upon  thee,  O  inhabitant  of  Moab,  says 
Jehovah.  44  He  who  flees  from  the  fear  shall  fall  into  the  pit, 
and  he  that  gets  out  of  the  pit  shall  be  caught  in  the  snare,  for 
I  shall  bring  on  him,  even  on  Moab,  the  year  of  his  visitation, 
says  Jehovah.  45  The  fugitives  stand,  worn  out,  under  the 
shadow  of  (the  walls  of)  Heshbon,  ^  but  fire  shall  break  out  of 
Heshbon,  and  flame  from  the  midst  of  Sihon,  and  will  consume 
the  border  of  Moab  and  the  crown  of  the  head  of  its  haughty 
sons."* 

46  Woe  to  thee,  0  Moab !  The  people  of  Chemosh  are  lost ! 
for  thy  sons  will  be  led  away  captives,  and  thy  daughters  to 
captivity.  47  Yet  I  will  turn  again  the  captivity  of  Moab  in  the 
end  of  days,  says  Jehovah.  * 

Ezekiel,  on  the  banks  of  the  Chebar,  was  equally  stern 
in  his  denunciation  of  the  doomed  land. 

8  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  ^  Because  Moab,  like  Seir,  says, 
"  Behold  the  House  of  Judah  is  as  the  same  as  all  other  peoples," 
9  therefore,  lo,  I  will  open  to  the  inroads  of  the  Sons  of  the  East — 


I  Jer.  xlviii.  39-47.  2  gee  verse  24 

^  A  neighbouring  city  of  the  Ammonites. 

*  Lit.,  "  sons  of  tumult,"  perhaps  =  warriors. 

5  This  prophecy  is  more  or  less  adapted  from  other  prophecies. 
Compare  this  48th  chap,  of  Jeremiah  with  Isa.  xv.  and  xvi. ;  Amos 
ii.  1-3 ;  Zeph.  ii.  8-10,  and  the  words  of  Balaam,  Num.  xxiv.  17. 

«  Ezek.  XXV.  8-11. 


EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  ROUND.  161 

the  Arabs  ' — the  border  of  Moab,  from  the  cities  on  the  one  end 
of  it,  to  the  last  of  his  cities  on  the  other — the  glory  of  the  land — 
Beth-jeshiinoih,  Baal-meon-  and  Kiriathaiin,^  lo  with  the  country 
of  the  Ammonites,  and  will  give  it  to  the  invaders  for  a  possession, 
that  the  Ammonites  may  no  longer  be  remembered  among  the 
nations,  ii  And  I  will  execute  judgments  on  Moab,  and  they 
shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah. 

In  this  terrible  list  of  judgments  on  the  enemies  of 
Israel, .  Ammon  was  included  by  both  Ezekiel  and 
Jeremiah.  The  people  of  God  were  not  to  suffer  alone. 
The  Divine  vengeance  would  light  even  more  heavily 
on  the  heathen,  far  and  near.  The  word  of  the  Lord^ 
Ezekiel  tells  us,  came  again  to  him,  saying : — 

2  Son  of  man,  ■*  turn  thy  face  against  the  sons  of  Ammon  and 
prophecy  against  them,  3  and  say  to  the  sons  of  Ammon,  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  Jehovah:  Because  thou  saidst  "Aha"  against 
My  Temple  when  it  was  desecrated,  and  against  the  land  of 
Israel  when  it  was  laid  waste,  and  against  the  House  of  Judah 
when  it  went  into  exile— 4  behold,  1  will,  therefore,  give  thee 
to  the  sons  of  the  East— the  Arabs — for  a  possession,  that  they 
may  set  up  their  tent  villages  in  thee,  and  make  their  encamp- 
ments in  thee ;  and  they  will  eat  thy  produce  and  drink  thy  milk. 
5  And  I  will  make  Kabbah — thy  capital — a  browsing  place  for 
camels — and  the  (home  of)  the  sons  of  Ammon  for  a  gathering 
place  of  herds,  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah.  6  For  thus 
says  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Because  thou  didst  clap  thy  hands,  and 
stamp  (for  joy)  with  thy  feet,  and  rejoice  with  the  deadliest 
contempt,  at  (the  calamities  of)  the  land  of  Israel,  7  behold,  I 
will  therefore  stretch  oat  My  hand  over  thee,  and  deliver  thee 

*  "  Sons  of  the  East,"  the  same  as  our  later  word  "  Saracens." 
The  Arabs  would  overrun  and  occupy  both  Ammon  and  Moab, 
as  has  been  the  case  for  ages. 

2  These  towns  were  in  the  territory  of  Reaben,  but  in  EzekiePs 
day  were  held  by  Moab. 

^  Sir  G.  Grove  thinks  Kiriatham,  not  Kiriathaim,  was  tlie 
original  form.  <  Ezek.  xxv.  1-7. 

VOL.    VI.  M 


162  EDOM    AND    THE    NATIONS    EOUND. 

for  a  spoil  to  the  peoples,  and  root  thee  out  from  among  them, 
and  destroy  thee  from  among  the  nations,  and  thou  shalt  know- 
that  I  am  Jehovah ! 

The  territory  of  Ammon  lay  to  the  north  of  Moab,  to 
which  its  people  were  closely  allied  by  blood.  The  tribe 
of  Gad  had  long  before  received  their  country  as  its 
inheritance,  after  the  defeat  of  Sihon  their  king  ;  but  the 
deportation  of  the  eastern  Tribes  by  Tiglath-Pileser/ 
had  enabled  them  to  re-occupy  the  district,  from  which, 
indeed,  they  had  probably  never  been  wholly  expelled. 
Less  settled  than  Moab,  the  Ammonites  had  only  one 
city  of  any  size,  their  capital,  Kabbah ;  the  region  being 
generally  pastoral.  Hereditary  enemies  of  Israel,^  they 
would  not  long  have  cause  for  rejoicing  at  his  fall.  Like 
Ezekiel,  Jeremiah  proclaimed  their  coming  doom. 

I  Concerning  the  B'nai  Ammon,'  thus  says  Jehovah :  Has 
Israel  no  sons  left  ?  Has  he  no  heirs  ?  Why,  then,  has  Milcom, 
(the  god  of  the  Ammonites),  taken  the  territory  of  Gad  as  an 
inheritance,  (instead  of  Jehovah  ?)  and  why  do  his  people  dwell 
in  its  towns?  2  Because  of  this,  the  days  come  when  I  shall 
cause  Eabbah  of  the  B'nai  Ammon  to  hear  the  shout  of  battle, 
and  it  will  be  made  heaps  of  ruins,  and  the  small  towns  round  it — 
its  daughters — will  be  burned  with  fire,  and  then  shall  Israel  dis- 
possess them  that  took  possession  of  his  territory,  says  Jehovah. 
3  Lament  aloud,  0  Heshbon,  for  Ai,"*  near  thee,  is  (already)  laid 
waste !  Shriek,  ye  daughters  of  Rabbah— inhabitants  of  the 
little  towns  near  her — gird  yourselves  with  sackcloth ;  lament, 
and  run  hither  and  thither,  behind  the  rude  stone  walls  of  thy 

1  2  Kings  XV.  29.     See  vol.  iv.  p.  233. 

2  Judges  X.  7  ;  xi.  12-32.  1  Sam.  xi.  2  Sam.  x.  and  xi. ;  xii. 
26.  2  Chron.  xx.  Amos  i.  13-15.  2  Kings  xiv.  25.  2  Chron. 
xxvi.  8.  2  Kings  xv.  29.    1  Chron.  v.  26. 

3  Jer.  xlix.  1-6. 

4  Not  the  Ai  on  the  west  of  the  Jordan.  Graf  suggests  "  Ar  " 
(Num.  xxi.  15). 


EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  ROUND.  163 

jedars}  for  Milcora  (your  god)  shall  go  into  captivity,  and  -with 
him  his  priests  and  his  princes.  4  Why  gloriest  thou  in  the 
glens  (of  thy  land),  the  wealth  ^  of  thy  (chief)  valley,  (below 
Rabbah),  0  rebellious  daughter,  who  trustedst  in  (the  lasting 
possession  of)  thy  treasures,  saying,  "Who  will  come  to  me" 
(to  attack  me)  ?  5  Behold  I  will  cause  terror  to  come  on  thee 
from  all  sides,  says  the  Lord,  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  ye  shall  be 
driven  out,  every  man  straight  before  him,  no  one  stopping  to 
rally  or  gather  the  fugitives.  6  Yet,  hereafter,  I  will  turn  back 
the  captivity  of  the  B'nai  Ammon,  says  Jehovah.* 

Damascus,  now  an  inconsiderable  state,  under  we 
know  not  what  rule,  had  brought  on  itself  tlie  same  doom 
as  its  neioflibours,  for  the  same  cause.  Its  fate  is  thus 
foretold  by  Jeremiah.* 

23  Hamath  ^  is  put  to  shame  and  Arpad,^  for  they  have  heard 
evil  tidings,  they  are  in  despair.  ^  There  is  sorrow  even  on  the 
sea  (coast) ;  (like  the  sea)  men  cannot  rest.  24  Damascus  has 
lost  heart  and  turns  to  flee,  trembling  has  seized  her,  anguish 
and  woe  like  that  of  a  woman  in  her  trouble.  25  Oh !  how  sad, 
that  the  famous,  the  delightsome  city  should  not  be  abandoned 
(by  its  people)  before  her  fall !  26  Therefore,  her  young  men  will 
fall  in  her  streets,  and  all  her  fighting  men  will  be  cut  off  in  that 

^  See  vol.  iv.  p.  218.  It  is  translated  in  the  A.V. — "sheep- 
folds,"  "  folds,"  "  sheepcotes,"  "  hedges,"  "  wall,"  and  included  the 
dry  stone  walls  used  for  all  inclosures  alike. 

-  With  Ewald  and  Graf,  I  take  the  participle  as  a  substantive. 
The  Sept  has  Anakim  for  Amakim  (valleys),  and  is  probably  right. 
A  remnant  of  the  old  gigantic  race  may  have  previously  held 
them. 

3  The  Eabbis  held  that  the  Ammonites  returned  when  some  of 
their  race  in  later  times  became  proselytes  to  Judaism.  Barclay's 
Talmud.  '  Jer.  xlix.  23-27. 

»  Yol.  iii.  p.  213;  vol.  iv.  p.  207.  Hamath  was  at  one  time 
under  the  Hittites,  as  shown  by  Hittite  inscriptions  found  there. 

^  A  city  15  miles  north  of  Aleppo,  now  Ervad. 

^  Lit.,  '*  they  melt  away." 


164  EDOM    AND    THE    NATIONS    BOUND. 

day,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.    27  And  I  will  kindle  fire  on  the  wall 
of  Damascus,  that  will  consume  the  palaces  of  Benhadad.* 

The  various  Arab  races,  settled  and  nomadic,  in  the 
wide  regions  between  Palestine  and  the  Euphrates,  are 
next  arraigned  and  given  over  to  the  visitation  of  God.  ^ 
The  denunciation  is  directed  against  "  Kedar  ^  and  the 
kingdoms  of  Hazor/'  that  is,  the  Arab  villages  under 
different  sheiks,  *'  which  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of 
Babylon  smote/'  How  long  the  prophecy  had  been 
uttered  before  its  fulfilment,  we  have  no  means  of  know- 
ing. 

28  Up,  (0  Chaldeans),  march  against  Kedar,  and  spoil  the  sons 
of  the  East !  29  They,  (the  Ciialdeans),  shall  take  their  tents  and 
their  sheep ;  they  shall  carry  off  their  tent-cloths,^  and  all  their 
household  utensils,  and  their  camels,  and  shall  raise  the  war 
shout  against  them.     Fear  shall  be  on  every  side  ! 

30  Flee  !  begone  as  far  as  you  may !  bury  yourselves  in  the 
depth  of  the  desert,  O  ye  inhabitants  of  Hazor,  saith  Jehovah. 
For  Nebuchadnezzar,  king   of  Babylon,  has   formed  a   purpose 

^  Amos  i.  4,  14.  Ben-Hadad  =  the  son  of  Hadad,  the  chief  god 
of  Damascus ;  sometimes  called  Hadad  Rimmon,  and  as  such 
representing  Baal,  the  sun- god — with  Rimnion,  the  god  of  the  air. 

2  Jer.  xlx.  28-33. 

^  Kedar  is  used  here  as  a  general  name  for  all  the  nomadic 
tribes  of  Arabs;  Hazor  for  those  dwelling  in  fixed  encampments 
or  villages.  The  settled  Arabs  are  still  called  Hadarije,  in  con- 
trast to  Wabarije  or  tent  Arabs  ;  and  Hadar  =  Hazor  is  the  fixed 
dwelling,  in  distinction  fro'm  '"  Bedii,"  the  open  desert.  Keil, 
Jeremia,  p.  490.  Delitzsch,  Jes.  xlii.  11.  The  "men"  or  "  sous 
of  the  East "  are  the  Arabs  as  a  whole,  (afterwards)  known  as  the 
Nabateans  or  Kedarenes. 

^  The  thick,  felt-like,  rainproof  coverings  of  goat's  hair  or 
camel's  hair,  which  Paul  employed  himself  in  making.  Herzog, 
vol.  V.  p.  514  ;  vol.  vi.  p.  148.  The  two  under  layers  of  coverings 
of  the  tabernacle  are  described  by  the  word  used  here.  Herzog, 
vol.  XV.  p.  98. 


EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  ROUND.  165 

against  you,  and  planned  hostile  action.  31  Up,  0  Chaldeans, 
inarch  against  a  people  living  quietly,  in  (fancied)  security,  saith 
the  Lord  ;  who  have  neither  gates  nor  bars  (to  oppose  you),  but 
dwell  alone.  32  Their  camels  shall  be  a  booty,  and  the  multitude 
of  their  herds  and  flocks  a  spoil.  And  I  will  scatter  to  all  the 
winds  the  race  tha^  wear  tlieir  hair  shaven  at  the  temples,  ^  and  I 
will  bring  destruction  on  them  from  all  sides,  saith  Jehovah.  33 
And  Hazor  shall  be  a  dwelling  for  jackals,  a  waste  for  ever.  No 
one  shall  live  there,  no  one  even  sojourn  in  it. 

The  last  in  this  list  of  doomed  communities  is  Elam, 
the  mountainous  reo^ion  on  the  west  of  the  lower  Tiofris.^ 
The  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy,  nevertheless,  was  to  be 
remote ;  for  to  Elam,  under  its  king  Cyrus,  and  to  Media, 
was  hereafter  given  the  commission  to  overthrow  Baby- 
lon.^ Under  the  Persian  empire,  however,  its  indepen- 
dence was  lost,  and  it  became  the  seat  of  the  Persian 
capital,  Susa  or  Shushan.  It  was  in  the  beginning  of 
the  reign  of  Zedekiah,  *  that  Jeremiah  was  moved,  we  do 
not  know  on  what  occasion,  to  foretell  the  destiny  of  this 
country,  which  seemed  to  the  Jews  almost  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  habitable  world.  The  prediction  runs  as 
follows : — 

35  Thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts  :  ^  Behold,  I  break  the  bow  of 
Elam,^  its  national  weapon,  36  and  will  bring  on  it  the  four  winds 

'  See  vol.  V.  p.  210. 

-  See  vol.  i.  p.  256  ;  vol.  v.  p.  69.  ^  Isa.  xxi.  2. 

*  Jer.  xlix.  34  The  prophecies  in  chaps,  xlvi.  to  xlix.  and 
xxxiii.,  had  been  uttered  about  seven  years  before.     Jer.  xlvi.  2. 

5  Jer.  xlix.  34-39. 

^  The  national  weapon,  see  vol.  iv.  p.  4-10.  Sayce  thinks  that  the 
conquest  of  Elam  referred  to  was  that  effected  byTeiopes,  a  chief 
of  the  royal  clan  of  the  Persians,  who  appears  to  have  taken  pos- 
session of  Elam  dui-ing  the  troublous  time  that  followed  the  fall 
of  Assyria.  The  result  of  this  was  to  make  Cyrus  an  Elamite  in 
education  and  religion.     Sayce,  Fresh  Light,  p.  180. 


166 


EDOM  AND  THE  NATIONS  EOUND. 


from  the  four  ends  of  heaven,  and  will  scatter  its  people  to  all 
those  winds,  and  there  shall  be  no  nation  to  which  the  dispersed 
of  Elam  shall  nob  come.  37  And  I  will  make  Elam  dismaj'ed 
before  her  enemies,  and  before  those  that  seek  her  life,  and  will 
bring  evil  on  them,  the  glow  of  My  anger,  says  Jehovah,  and 
send  the  sword  after  them  till  I  have  consumed  them.  38  And 
I  will  set  up  My  throne  in  Elam,  and  destroy  out  of  it  kings  and 
princes,  says  Jehovah.  39  Yet  in  the  end  of  days  I  will  bring 
back  the  captivity  of  Elam,  says  Jehovah. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    MURDER    OP   GEDALIAH,    AND   THE    SIEGE    OP    TYRE. 

THE  state  of  things  in  Judali,  after  the  Chaldean 
army  retired,  taking  with  it  long  files  of  captives 
to  Babylon,  was  gloomy  in  the  extreme.  Jerusalem 
and  the  Temple  lay  in  ruins,  the  towns  and  villages  had 
been  burned,  and  most  of  the  surviving  population  had 
fled  for  the  time.  The  land  was  not,  however,  finally 
abandoned ;  for  there  still  remained  inhabitants  enough, 
when  the  fugitives  came  back  from  their  hiding  places, 
to  form  a  considerable  community,  and  over  these  the 
authority  of  Babylon  must  be  upheld,  to  prevent  Egypt 
from  taking  possession  of  the  country.  Nebuchadnezzar, 
therefore,  took  measures  for  the  organization  of  a  govern- 
ment in  its  bounds.^ 

Among  the  steady  advocates  of  quiet  submission  to  the 
Chaldeans,  a  Jewish  noble — Gedaliah,  "he  whom  Jehovah 
has  made  great  '^ — had  borne  a  foremost  part.  As  a 
recognition  of  this  he  was  now  appointed  governor  of 
the  land.  He  was  the  grandson  of  Shaphan,  the  secre- 
tary of  king  Josiah,  and  son  of  Ahikam  who  had  been 

*  The  subsequent  narrative  rests  mainly  on  Jeremiah,  chaps, 
xl.,  xli.,  xlii.  and  xliii. 

167 


168    THE    MURDER   OP    GEDALIAH^    AND    THE    SIEGE    OF    TYRE. 

sent  by  that  king  to  the  prophetess  Huldah,  to  inquire 
about  the  newly-found  Book  of  the  Law,  and  to  whom, 
in  the  days  of  Jehoiakim,  Jeremiah  owed  his  life.^  Ge- 
daHah  had  been  no  less  faithful  to  the  best  traditions 
of  the  past,  or  to  Jeremiah,  their  greatest  living  repre- 
sentative. The  opinions  of  the  statesman  and  the 
prophet  were  identical,  alike  in  religion  and  politics,  and 
thus  drew  them  together.  To  both,  the  perjury  of 
Zedekiah  in  his  rebellion  against  Babylon,  was  the  cause 
of  the  misery  that  had  overwhelmed  the  nation;  and 
both  might  be  implicitly  trusted  to  be  loyal  to  Nebu- 
chadnezzar. 

The  state  of  parties  in  Jerusalem  had  been  intimately 
known  to  the  Chaldeans,  and  hence  the  storming  of  the 
city,  which  had  overthrown  the  State,  was  the  signal  for 
Jeremiah  recovering  his  freedom.  In  return  for  his  firm 
support  of  Chaldea,  orders  were  issued  to  the  general  in 
command  at  Jerusalem,  to  take  him  under  his  protection 
and  show  him  every  favour.  He  was  at  once,  therefore, 
removed  from  confinement  in  the  court  of  the  watch, 
and  commended  to  the  good  offices  of  Gedaliah,  though 
free  to  go  where  he  liked.  Led  first  to  Ramah,  the 
Chaldean  headquarters,  about  five  miles  north  of  Jeru- 
salem, and  so  far  on  the  way  to  Babylon,  the  manacles 
hitherto  on  his  wrists  were  there  struck  off*,  and  he  was 
invited  to  choose  whether  he  would  go  with  honour  to 
Babylon,  or  remain  behind  in  his  ruined  native  country. 
Knowing,  however,  that  if  he  went  to  the  East  he  should 
never  see  Judah  again,  he  preferred  to  remain  amidst 
scenes  which,  even  in  their  desolation,  were  so  near  his 
heart.  Gedaliah  had  taken  up  his  abode  at  Mizpeh,  a 
little  south  of  Kamah,  and  to  him  the  prophet  turned, 
receiving,  from  the  Chaldean  general,  when  he  left  him, 


THE    MURDER   OF   GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OP   TYRE.    169 

besides  other  substantial  proofs  of  regard,  a  supply  of 
provisions,  necessary  for  his  support  till  the  next  harvest. 

A  better  day  seemed  now  dawning.  The  restless 
Egyptian  party  was  in  exile,  and  Gedaliah  had  every 
quality  his  position  seemed  to  demand.  All  the  popula- 
tion not  carried  off  were  committed  to  his  charge,  and 
the  feeble  remnant  of  the  nation  might  hope  slowly  to 
regain  a  modest  prosperity  by  his  aid,  under  the  shadow 
of  the  Great  King. 

The  news  of  this  new  settlement  of  affairs  soon  spread. 
An  amnesty,  which  promised  the  best  results,  had  been 
proclaimed  to  all  who  gathered  round  Gedaliah.  '  Numbers 
of  men  throughout  the  country  had  formed  themselves 
into  armed  bands,  to  harass  the  Chaldeans  during  the 
siege,  but  had  been  forced  to  flee  to  the  fastnesses  of  the 
distant  hills — to  Edom,  Moab,  and  Ammon — after  the 
city  was  taken.  Further  resistance  was  hopeless.  Their 
leaders,  therefore,  gladly  sent  in  their  submission  and 
that  of  their  followers,  to  the  new  governor,  himself  a 
Jew,  in  answer  to  his  overtures  of  protection  and  oblivion 
of  the  past,  if  they  proved  henceforth  loyal  subjects  of 
Nebuchadnezzar.  They  might  settle  where  they  liked 
in  the  half-depopulated  country,  taking  possession  of 
the  abandoned  orchards,  vineyards,  and  fields.  A  great 
many,  attracted  by  such  offers,  flocked  in  from  all  sides. 

Among  other  leaders  of  these  rude  bands,  however, 
was  one  destined  to  ruin  the  fair  hopes  of  the  community. 
Ishmael — ominous  name — a  connection  of  the  old  Hebrew 
royal  family,  possibly  even  a  descendant  of  Elishama,  the 
son  of  David,^  but  perhaps  a  son  of  Zedekiali  or  one 
of  the  later  kings — was  still  the  head  of  a  company 
which,  after  the  siege,  had  taken  refuge  in  Ammon. 
Women  from  that  district  were  fouad  in  the  royal  harem 
»  Jer.  xli.  1.     2  Kinjrs  xxv.  25.     2  Sam.  v.  16. 


170    THE    MURDER   OF    GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OF   TYRE. 

at  Jerusalem/  and  thus  Ishmael,  on  Ms  motlier's  side, 
may  have  been  connected  with  the  Ammonite  court. 
Jealous  of  the  elevation  of  Gedaliah^  and  familiarised 
by  the  war  with  deeds  of  blood,  Ishmael  was  a  ready  tool 
for  any  crime  glossed  by  ambition  or  a  show  of  patriotism, 
and  ere  long  agreed  with  Baaltes,  the  king  of  Ammon, 
to  assist  in  carrying  out  a  dark  plot  against  Gedaliah. 
To  kill  him  probably  seemed  to  the  Ammonite  the  surest 
way  of  bringing  final  ruin  on  the  hated  Jews,  who,  if 
allowed  to  recover  themselves,  might  once  more  claim 
the  territory  beyond  the  Jordan.  That  he  had  consented 
to  take  office  under  the  Chaldean,  was,  perhaps,  the 
pretext  by  which  Ishmael  hushed  his  scruples.  A  plot 
was  accordingly  arranged,  by  which  Ishmael  should  go  to 
Mizpeh  and  feign  submission  to  the  new  governor,  with 
a  view  to  his  murder ;  and  unfortunately  the  frank  and 
open  nature  of  the  intended  victim  made  it  only  too 
easily  successful. 

Gedaliah^s  house  seems  to  have  stood  by  itself,  shut  off 
by  a  high  wall,  with  a  courtyard  enclosing  the  deep  well, 
or  reservoir,  dug  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  before, 
by  Asa,  to  supply  water  to  his  stronghold  raised  at 
Mizpeh  against  Baasha.^  Hither  Ishmael  and  some  of 
his  men  repaired,  after  various  leaders  with  their  bands 
had  already  done  so,  and,  like  them,  he  doubtless  took 
an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Great  King,  pledging  himself 
to  be  his  loyal  subject.  Free  access  to  the  governor 
was  naturally  granted  to  chiefs  who  had  thus  given  in 
their  adhesion  to  the  new  state  of  things;  but  this 
confidence,  though  justified    by  the  conduct  of  all   but 

1  2  Kings  xi.  1. 

2  1  Kings  XV.  16-22.  2  Chron.  xvi.  1-6.  The  stones  had  been 
brought  from  Earn  ah,  and  the  fortress  was  designed  to  bar  the 
road  to  Jerusalem. 


THE    MURDER    OF    GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OF   TYRE.    171 

Islimael,  gave  him  a  fatal  opportunity  of  carrying  out 
his  treason.  Hoping  to  win  other  leaders  to  join  him, 
he  broached  the  subject  to  them^  but  they  determined 
to  thwart  the  black  design  if  possible.  Two  brothers, 
Johanan  and  Jonathan,  both  prominent  chieftains,  with 
Seraiah,  at  the  head  of  a  band  from  Netophah,  a  little 
north  of  Bethlehem  ;  and  Jaazaniah,  from  Maachah,  in 
the  far  north,  near  the  springs  of  the  Jordan,^  waited  on 
the  threatened  man  and  warned  him  of  his  danger.  But 
Ishmael  had  played  his  part  too  well,  and  had  lulled 
his  victim  to  a  false  security.  '^  It  was  impossible  such 
a  man  could  be  false ;  they  slandered  him."  A  secret 
interview  obtained  by  Johanan  was  as  unsuccessful. 
Knowing  the  ruin  Gedaliah^s  death  would  bring,  he 
offered  to  kill  the  conspirator  secretly,  but  permission 
was  refused. 

Ishmael  arrived  about  a  month  after  the  fall  of  the 
city,  to  pay  homage  to  Gedaliah,  but  had  subsequently 
left  again  for  Ammon.-  He  reappeared,  however,  thirty 
days  later,  on  the  third^  of  Tisri* — nearly  our  October — 
with  ten  "  princes  "  or  ''  dignitaries,"  ^ — perhaps  officers 
of  the  disbanded  Jewish  army — each,  probably,  attended 
by  his  followers.  New  adherents  so  high  in  rank  seemed 
a  great  acquisition,  and  were  naturally  welcomed  by  the 
governor  in  a  feast  made  on  their  account ;  but  it  was 
a  fatal  act  of  courtesy.  The  unsuspecting  victim  was 
liberal,  as  Josephus  tells  us,  with  his  wine,  and  all  went 
merrily,  till,  at  a  given  signal,  he  and  every  one  in 
the  mansion  were  struck  down  by  Ishmael  and  his 
confederates ;  the  massacre  being  carried  out  with  such 
swift  secrecy  that  no  alarm  was  given  outside,  and  no 

»  Conder's  Handbooh,  p.  254.  *  Jos.,  Ant,  IX.  x.  3. 

*  So  says  tradition.  *  Jer.  xli.  1.     Zech.  vii.  5. 

»  Kabbai. 


172    THE    MURDER    OP   GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OP   TYRE. 

one  escaped  to  tell  the  tale.  The  grey-haired  Jeremiah, 
often  a  guest  at  Gedaliah's  table,  was  fortunately  absent. 
So  complete  had  been  the  preparations,  that  a  guard 
of  honour  of  Chaldean  soldiers,  on  duty  round  the  house, 
were  surprised  and  cut  down  to  a  man,  and  the  residence 
made  a  ghastly  scene  of  death,  without  the  townspeople, 
outside,  having  the  least  suspicion  of  any  treason,  till 
two  days  after  all  was  over.  But  the  crimes  of  Ishmael 
were,  as  yet,  only  half  finished.  The  houses  of  Mizpeh, 
built  on  a  hill- side,  stood  high  above  the  country  around; 
that  of  Gedaliah  rising  clear  of  the  others,  perhaps  on 
the  highest  terrace,  so  that  it  overlooked  the  road  from 
Shechem  and  Samaria  to  Jerusalem.  Watching  from 
this  vantage  ground,  Ishmael,  on  the  second  day,  saw 
a  band  of  travellers  approaching.  As,  whatever  their 
errand  or  destination,  it  would  be  incumbent  on  them 
to  wait  on  the  governor  and  pay  him  their  respects,  it 
seemed  imperative  to  make  away  with  them,  lest  the 
massacre  should  be  discovered.  The  traitor,  therefore, 
hurried  out  at  the  head  of  his  band  to  meet  them.  They 
proved  to  be  eighty  pilgrims  from  Shechem,  Shiloh,^  and 
Samaria,  on  the  way  to  the  ruins  of  the  Temple  at  Jeru- 
salem, which  were  still  sacred  to  them ;  God-fearing 
descendants  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  living  among  the  heathen 
settled  in  their  land  by  Esarhaddon.^  They  wished  to 
show  their  unshaken  faith  and  devotion,  by  presenting 
unbloody  offerings,  such  as  did  not  need  a  priest,  on  the 
loved  spot  where  the  altar  of  Jehovah  had  stood.^ 

The  destruction  of  the  nation  and  of  the  sanctuary  had 
overwhelmed  them  with  grief;  their  beards  were  shaven, 
their  clothes  rent,  their  flesh   cut,  in  heathen  fashion,* 

^  Salem.     Sept  and  Ch'af. 

2  2  Kings  xvii.  24.  ^  2  Chron.  xxx.  11 ;  xxxiv.  9. 

*  The  modern  Dervishes  sometimes,  under  religious  excitement, 


THE    MURDER    OP    GEDALIAH,    AND   THE    SIEGE    OF    TYRE.    1 7o 

and  they  were  weepinc^  aloud  as  they  went.^  Approach- 
ing with  hollow  sympathy,  Ishmael  invited  them  to  pay 
the  wonted  visit  to  the  governor,  and  thus  drew  them 
into  his  power.  Once  inside  the  courtyard  ^  of  the 
residence,  the  gates  were  closed  behind  them,  and 
seventy  out  of  the  eighty  were  forthwith  massacred ;  ten, 
only,  ransoming  their  lives  by  the  promise  of  a  heavy 
payment  in  wheat,  barley,  oil  and  honey,  which,  they  told 
him,  they  had  stored  in  pits  unknown  except  to  them- 
selves. The  seventy  corpses  were  then  thrown  into 
Asa's  well  in  the  courtyard,  which  offered  a  ready-made 
grave,  as  the  bodies  of  our  countrymen  and  country- 
women were  to  be  tumbled  into  the  well  of  Cawnpore 
twenty-four  centuries  later.^ 

Blind  hatred  or  jealousy  of  Gedaliah  had  urged  on  the 
author  of  this  hideous  tragedy,  which  made  any  mercy 
from  the  Chaldeans  impossible  for  him  and  his  associates. 
He  and  they  had  wreaked  a  furious  and  mad  vengeance 
on  Gedaliah  and  all  connected  with  him,  as  the  penalty, 
at  the  hand  of  Jewish  irreconcilables,  for  having  had 
any  peaceful  relations  with  Babylon.  It  only  remained  to 
secure  a  safe  retreat  to  Baaltes,  across  the  Jordan.  But 
the  town  could  not  be  allowed  to  escape  a  visitation. 
Descending  to  it,  therefore,  Ishmael  and  his  men  seized 

cut  their  cheeks  and  brows,  arms  and  breasts,  stripping  them- 
selves to  the  waist  to  do  so.  Jeremiah  speaks  of  the  practice 
more  than  once.  Thus  in  chap.  xvi.  6,  we  read  of  men  "  cutting 
themselves,"  and  in  chap,  xlviii.  37,  "  on  all  hands  are  gashes.' 
In  every  case  this  wounding  one's  self  is  intended  as  a  sign  of 
grief,  either  in  contrition  or  for  some  great  affliction. 

'  Sept 

2  Not  city.  The  word  for  courtyard,  and  that  for  city,  are  very 
much  alike  in  Hebrew. 

^  Jehu  appears  to  have  acted  in  the  same  way  with  the  forty- 
two  relatives  of  Ahaziah.    2  Kings  ix.  14. 


174  THE  MUEDEE  OP  GEDALIAH^  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  TYEE. 

all  the  inhabitants  they  could — including  the  daughters 
of  Zedekiahj  who  had  been  sent  by  Nebuchadnezzar  to 
Mizpeh,  as  a  place  of  safety — and  carried  them  off,  with 
the  other  prisoners,  to  Ammon.  Reports  of  the  murder 
of  Gedaliah  and  his  household  had,  however,  at  last 
spread  abroad,  or  it  may  be  that  only  the  news  of  the 
carrying  off  so  many  citizens  from  Mizpeh  had  become 
known.  More  or  less  of  the  terrible  story  very  soon 
reached  Johanan  and  the  chiefs  associated  with  him,  who 
had  vainly  tried  to  put  Gedaliah  on  his  guard.  Starting 
at  once  with  their  bands  in  pursuit,  they  overtook  the 
prisoners  and  their  captors  at  the  great  tank  or  pool 
of  Gibeon,  ^  about  two  miles  north  of  Mizpeh,  ^  for  such 
a  company  could  move  only  slowly.  The  sight  of  the 
pursuers  was  life  to  their  victims.  Aiding  the  attack  of 
Johanan  by  rushing  off  from  their  guards,  they  were  soon 
in  safety,  and  Ishmael  had  to  flee,  leaving  two  of  the 
ten  leaders  of  his  band  slain  on  the  field,  and  doubtless 
many  of  his  men. 

It  was  useless  to  return  to  Mizpeh,  which  in  all  pro- 
bability had  been  burnt.  Those  rescued  comprised  men, 
women,  children,  and  some  of  the  eunuchs  of  Zedekiah^s 
harem,  and  could  not  be  left  unprotected.  Johanan  and 
his  companions  did  not  live  at  Mizpeh,^  and  its  very  name 
was  now,  for  the  time,  a  horror.  Besides,  the  Chaldean 
troops  still  in  Palestine  and  Syria  would  inevitably  sweep 
down  at  once  in  wild  fury  on  the  scene  of  such  an  au- 

^  Its  remains  are  still  to  be  seen,  showing  that  it  was  about 
120  feet  long  by  100  broad.     Rohinson. 

2  Josephus  says,  that  Ishmael  went  south,  by  Hebron.  Thom- 
son says,  that  there  is  a  "  considerable  pond  "  in  the  plain  below 
the  village,  in  the  wet  season.  Land  and  Book,  p.  669.  This 
may  be  "  the  sea  "  alluded  to  in  Josh-  2cviii,  14,  as  the  north-west 
corner  of  Benjamin. 

8  Jer,  xl.  13. 


THE    MURDER   OF    GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OP    TYRE.    175 

dacious  and  terrible  crime,  and  might  confound  the  inno- 
cent with  the  guilty  in  their  revenge.  It  was  therefore 
determined,  as  a  first  step,  to  retire  southwards,  with  the 
view  of  fleeing  to  Egypt,  if  necessary.  A  large  khan,  built 
by  Chimham,  the  follower  or  son  of  Barzillai,  the  friend 
of  David,  stood  near  Bethlehem,  and  was  the  starting 
point  for  travellers  to  Egypt.  Accommodation  could  be 
found  in  it,  and  leisure  gained  for  consulting  as  to  the 
next  steps  to  bo  taken.    Thither,  therefore,  they  hurried. 


GcEST  House.    From  a  sketch  made  by  Lieut.  Conder,  E.E. 
See  also  vol.  v.  p.  206. 

Among  the  fugitives  was  the  prophet  Jeremiah  and  his 
faithful  attendant  Baruch.  In  such  an  emergency  it 
was  natural  to  turn  for  counsel  to  one  so  venerable.  If, 
said  they,  he  would  favour  them  by  asking  directions 
from  God  for  their  guidance,  they  would  faithfully  act  on 
them.  Their  request  met  with  immediate  compliance, 
but  it  was  ten  days  before  he  felfc  able  to  give  them  any 
answer.      When  at    last  it  came,  moreover,  it  was  not 


176  THE  MURDER  OP  QEDALIAH,  AND  THE  SIEGE  OP  TYRE. 

such  as  they  had  hoped  to  receive,  and  they  had  not 
faith  enough  in  the  prophet  to  act  boldly  on  it.  Safety, 
he  told  them,  lay  in  their  remaining  in  Judea;  disaster 
would  follow  their  flight  to  l%ypt.  It  had  been  a  mis- 
take even  to  think  of  it;  nor  had  they  been  sincere  in 
their  request  that  he  should  inquire  for  counsel  from 
God,  as  their  resolution  had  been  already  formed.  It 
was  useless  for  him  to  warn  them  to  remain  in  the 
country.  Overcome  by  terror,  and  already  determined 
on  a  particular  course,  they  were  immovable.  Jeremiah, 
they  said,  had  been  prompted  by  Barucli  to  speak  as 
he  had  done,  that  the  Chaldeans  might  seize  them  and 
carry  them  off  as  slaves  to  Babylon.  Orders  were  there- 
fore given  to  make  for  Egypt,  and  thither  the  last  fragment 
of  the  Jewish  commonwealth  accordingly  went,  carry- 
ing Jeremiah  with  them.  Sixteen  miles  from  Pelusium, 
the  frontier  Egyptian  town,  lay  Tahpanhes,  or  Daphne,  ^ 
where  there  was  a  garrison,  under  Psammetichus  I.,  for 
defence  against  the  Arabs  and  Syrians.  There  they  settled 
for  the  time. 

Jeremiah  still,  however,  adhered  to  his  gloomy  fore- 
bodings, after  his  arrival  in  this  new  home.  Taking 
'^  great  stones,^^  he  buried  them  in  sight  of  his  country- 
men beneath  the  mortar  with  which  a  pavement  of  bricks, 
from  a  kiln  near  at  hand,  was  being  laid  down  before  the 
local  palace  of  the  Pharaoh,  following  the  act  by  announc- 
ing :— 

lo  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts,^  the  God  of  Israel,  Behold  I 
shall  send  and  fetch  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  king  of  Babylon,  My 
servant,  and  set  up  his  throne  over  these  stones  that  I  have 
buried,  and  he  will  spread  out  his  carpet  of   state  over  them. 


*  The  present  Tel  Defenneh.     Ebers,  in  Biehm,  p.  1605. 
2  Jer.  xliii.  8-13. 


THE    MUEDER   OF    GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OF   TYKE.     J  77 

II  And  he  will  come  and  smite  the  land  of  Egypt — those  for 
death  to  deatli;  those  for  captivity  to  captivity;  those  for  the 
sword  to  the  sword.  12  And  I  will  kindle  tire  in  the  houses  of 
the  Egyptian  gods,  and  he  shall  burn  the  temples  and  carry  off 
the  gods  captive,  and  he  shall  wrap  the  land  of  Egypt  round  him 
as  a  shepherd  wraps  round  him  his  mantle,^  and  he  shall  march 
away  in  peace,  (no  one  molesting  him).  13  And  he  will  break  the 
obelisks^  of  Bethshemesh,  the  house  of  the  sun,^  in  the  land  of 
Egypt,  and  he  will  burn  the  houses  of  the  gods  of  the  Egyptians 
with  fire. 

The  fulfilment  of  this  prediction^  as  we  shall  see, 
followed  in  due  time. 

The  flight  of  Gedaliah's  community  to  Egypt  ex- 
tinguished the  last  remaining  spark  of  life  in  the  Jewish 
State.  The  work  of  the  ten  centuries  since  Joshua 
crossed  the  Jordan  had  been  undone.  Every  Hebrew 
looked  back  with  boundless  pride  to  the  empire  of  David ; 
but  the  sceptre  had  now  fallen  from  the  hands  of  his 
descendants^  after  they  had  held  it  for  five  hundred  years, 
and  his  people  had  no  longer  a  country.  The  Ten  Tribes 
had  been  in  exile  for  more  than  a  century,  though  Assyria, 
which  carried  them  off,  had  been  overthrown.      A  great 

•  "  The  shepherd  boy,  twelve  or  fourteen  years  old,  had  bare 
legs  and  feet,  a  grey  smockfrock,  with  a  loose  sash  round  his  waist, 
and  the  woollen  coverlet  in  ivhich  he  wraps  himself  hy  night, 
thrown  over  his  shoulder  like  a  scarf."  Bovet,  Egijpt,  vol.  ii.  p.  24S. 
Neil  explains  the  figure  differently :  "  The  shepherd  wears  over  his 
shirt  of  unbleached  calico,  in  wet  or  cold  weather,  a  thick,  warm, 
sleeveless,  sack-like  outer  garment  of  camel's  hair,  invariable  as 
to  material,  shape,  and  colour — brown,  with  perpendicular  stripes. 
Nebuchadnezzar  will  array  himself  with  the  land  of  Egypt — that 
is,  seize  its  spoils — as  easily  as  a  shepherd  puts  on  this  loose 
simple  garment." — Falestine  Explored,  p.  254. 

This  illustrates  vividly  the  dress  of  John  the  Baptist  and  of 
the  prophets :  it  was  that  of  a  poor  peasant. 
2  Matzaiboth  =  sacred  pillars. 

*  Heliopolis  or  On.    See  vol.  ii.  p.  17. 

VOL.    VI.  W 


178  THE  MUEDEE  OF  GEDALIAH^  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  TYRE. 

part  of  Judah  and  Benjamin  had  fallen  in  battle,  or  siege, 
or  by  the  other  miseries  of  war ;  part  had  been  led  off  in 
chains  to  Chaldea,  and  a  remnant  had  made  Egypt  their 
home.  Henceforth,  there  seemed  little  human  hope  that 
they  would  ever  again  take  root  in  the  land  given  by 
God  to  their  fathers.  The  murder  of  Gedaliah  had 
broken  the  continuity  of  their  national  life,  and  violently 
closed  their  history  for  the  time.  Slowly  realized,  the 
greatness  of  this  disaster  impressed  itself  deeply  on  the 
people  at  large.  A  public  fast  was  appointed  on  the 
anniversary  of  Gedaliah's  death,  and  has  ever  since  been 
observed.  The  consciousness  that  all  the  nations  around 
rejoiced  at  their  ruin,  deepened  the  bitterness  of  humilia- 
tion. As  in  all  ages  since,  the  Jew  had  made  himself 
universally  hated.  Ammon,  Moab,  Bdom,  Damascus,  the 
Philistines,  the  very  Arabs  of  the  desert,  both  settled 
and  nomadic,  and  the  haughty  Phenicians  of  the  north, 
clapped  their  hands  at  the  downfall  of  Jerusalem.  It 
needed  all  the  consolation  of  knowing,  from  the  prophets, 
that  these  nations  would  suffer  in  their  turn,  to  make  the 
situation  endurable.  Egypt,  however,  received  the  exiles 
kindly.  Jewish  colonies  had  already  settled  in  it,^  and 
were  being  constantly  strengthened  by  immigrants  from 
many  parts,  for,  already,  members  of  the  "  dispersion '' 
were  found  in  all  countries,  east  and  west.  Palestine  itself 
contributed  many,  besides  those  who  fled  with  Johanan 
and  his  companions.  Troubles  soon  followed  GedaliaVs 
death ;  leaders  rising  who  sought  to  shake  off  the  Chal- 
dean yoke ;  for  the  bulk  of  the  humbler  classes  of  the 
nation  still  remained  in  the  land,  the  better  classes  and 
the  artizans,  mainly,  having  suffered  deportation.  Six 
years  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  local  insurrections  led  to 
Nebuchadnezzar  sweeping  off  seven  hundred  and  forty- 
^  Jer.  xxiv.  8. 


THE    MUKDER    OF    GEDALTAH,,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OF   TYRE.    179 

five  more  captives  to  Babylon — doubtless  all  picked  men 
— and  many  others,  we  may  be  sure,  had  to  flee  to  their 
brethren  in  Egypt.^  By  these  successive  reductions  of 
the  population,  Judah  was,  at  last,  left  almost  a  desert. 
*'  The  holy  cities  were  a  wilderness  :  Jerusalem  a  desola- 
tion." 2  The  land  could  now  enjoy  her  sabbaths.^  To 
make  matters  worse,  in  the  south,  the  Edomites  seized 
a  part  of  the  country,  extending  their  borders  to  the 
sea-coast,  with  or  without  permission  from  the  Chaldeans. 
The  disturbances  in  Judah  after  the  murder  of  Geda- 
liah  may  have  been  connected  with  the  presence  of  the 
Chaldeans  in  Phenicia,  Nebuchadnezzar  having  begun  the 
siege  of  Tyre  in  B.C.  586;'^  two  years  after  the  fall  of 
Jerusalem.  This  great  military  enterprise  had  been  the 
subject  of  a  series  of  discourses  by  Ezekiel,  delivered  to 
the  exiles  on  the  Chebar,  shortly  before  it  was  undertaken, 
when  the  triumph  of  the  arms  of  Babylon  over  the  Jews 
had  left  its  armies  free  to  turn  to  the  long-threatened 
capital  of  Phenicia.  The  word  of  Jehovah,  the  prophet 
tells  us,  came  to  him,  saying  : — 

2  Son  of  raan,^  because  Tyre  says  respecting  Jerusalem,  "  Ha! 
the  gate  of  the  nations  is  broken  in  pieces  ;  ^  the  stream  of  people 
and  of  trade  is  turned  to  me ;  I  will  be  filled,  (now  that)  she  is 
laid  waste."  3  Therefore,  thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Behold  I 
come  against  thee,  0  Tyre,^  and  will  cause  many  people  to  flood 


1  Jer.  lii.  30.  -  Isa.  Ixiv.  10. 

3  Lev.  xxvi.  34,  43.     2  Chron.  xxxvi.  21. 

•»  586-573,  Riehm.  =  Ezek.  xxvi.  1  6. 

^  Men  from  all  parts  entered  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  to  worship 
at  the  Temple.  Or  it  may  mean,  the  trade  that  passed  through 
them  from  many  parts. 

7  Insular  Tyre  is  meant.  Not  the  old  city  on  the  mainland 
The  channel  between  the  two  was  1,200  paces  broad,  and  nofc 
very  deep. 


180    THE    MURDER   OF    GEDALTAH,    AND   THE    SIEGE    OP   TYRE. 

up  against  thee,  as  the  sea  brings  up  its  waters,  wave  upon  wave. 
4  And  they  shall  destroy  the  walls  of  Tyre,  and  break  down  her 
towers.  I  will  also  scrape  away  her  very  dust  and  make  her  a 
naked  rock.  5  She  will  be  a  place  for  the  spreading  of  nets  in 
the  midst  of  the  sea,  for  I  have  spoken,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah, 
and  she  will  be  a  spoil  to  the  nations.  6  And  towns  and  villages, 
her  "  daughters,"  subject  to  her  on  the  mainland,  shall  be  slain 
by  the  sword,  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah. 

7  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah;^  Behold  I  will  bring 
against  Tyre,  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  from  the  North  ; 
the  king  of  kings,  with  horses  and  chariots  and  horsemen,  and  a 


MODEEN   TtEE. 

great  host  and  much  people.  8  He  will  slay  thy  daughters  in 
the  open  country  by  the  sword,^  and  he  will  raise  besieging 
towers  against  thee,  and  cast  up  a  mount  against  thee,"^  9  and 
raise  a  tortoise  ^  against  thee.      And  the  blow  of  his   battering 


1  Ezek.  xxvi.  7-14. 

^  The  smaller  towns  on  the  mainland. 

3  Vol.  iv.  p.  335. 

*  A  structure  covered  with  hides,  or  made  of  linked  shields, 
under  protection  of  which  the  besiegers  sought  to  undermine  or 
dig  t,ht  ough  the  wall.  Bielim,  p.  436.  Or,  it  may  mean  a  cover  of 
shields  linked  together,  beneath  which  the  besiegers  approached 
the  walls.     Hdverniclc.     Ewald.     Hitzig.     Keil. 


THE    MURDER    OP    GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OF   TYRE.    181 

ram  will  he  direct  against  thy  walls,  and  break  down  thy  towers 
with  his  crowbars.  lo  The  dust  raised  by  his  horse  will  cover 
thee,  by  reason  of  their  number  ;  thy  walls  will  shake  at  the 
noise  of  the  horsemen,  the  wheels,  and  the  chariots,  when  he 
enters  thy  gates  as  they  enter  into  a  breached  and  conquered 
city.  II  He  will  stamp  with  his  horses'  hoofs  in  all  thy  streets, 
he  will  slay  thy  people  with  the  sword,  and  cast  down  thy  grand 
Baal-pillars  to  the  ground.  12  And  they  will  plunder  thy  wealth, 
and  carry  off  thy  merchandise,  and  break  down  thy  walls,  and 
destroy  thy  lordly  mansions,  and  cast  thy  stones  and  thy  timber, 
and  the  rubbish  of  thy  houses,  into  the  midst  of  the  sea.^  13  Thus 
will  I  hush  the  voice  of  thy  songs,  and  the 
murmur  of  thy  harps  will  be  heard  no  more. 
14  And  I  will  make  thy  site  a  bare  rock; 
thou  wilt  be  a  place  for  the  spreading  of  nets, 
and  wilt  never  be  rebuilt ;  for  I,  Jehovah, 
have  spoken,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  ! 

The  news  of  tbe  destruction  of  Tyre 
will  shock  all  the  princes  of  maritime 
lands,  far  and  near,  and  all  the  Tyrian 
colonies  on  the  mainland  of  Africa  and 
Europe,  and  in  the  islands  of  the  Medi- 
terranean. 

15  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  to  Tyre : 
Verily,  at  the  report  of  thy  fall  the  coast  ^ssyeiax  Ehbhoidebed 

-..■■,  ,11  ,  1      •  •  ROBBS. 

lands  will  tremble — when  tbe  dymg  groan  in 

thee,  when  slaughter  is  in  thy  midst !  16  And  all  the  princes  of 
the  sea  will  come  down  from  tiieir  thrones,  and  lay  aside  their 
robes,   and    put  off  their   embroidered  garments,  and   clothing 


^  Nebuchadnezzar  tried  to  make  a  mole  to  the  island  city  across 
the  arm  of  the  sea  between  it  and  the  mainland.  He  was  not 
however  successful  in  this,  but  Alexander  the  Great,  who  after- 
wards carried  out  the  same  idea,  found  the  water  shallow  where 
the  Chaldean  king  had  thrown  the  wreck  of  the  city  into  the 
waves.     Arrian,  Anah.,  ii.  18. 

2  Ezek.  xxvi.  15-18. 


182    THE    MURDER   OF    GEDALIAH,   AND    THE    SIEGE    OP    TYRE. 

themselves  with  fear  will  sit  (in  lamentation)  on  the  earth,  and 
will  tremble  unceasingly  and  be  appalled  respecting  thee. 
17  And  they  will  raise  a  song  of  lament  for  thee,  and  say  to  thee, 
"  How  hast  thou  perished,  who  wast  frequented  by  all  the  sea 
people,  the  renowned  city  which  was  mighty  in  the  sea,  thou  and 
thy  citizens,  who  caused  the  fear  of  her  to  rest  on  all  the  sea 
nations.  18  How  shall  the  coast  lands  tremble  in  the  day  of  thy 
all ;  the  islands  of  the  sea  be  dismayed  at  thy  destruction  !  " 

Tyre,  swallowed  up  by  the  waves  of  the  sea,  will  sink 
into  the  kingdoms  of  the  dead,  and  vanish  for  ever  from 
the  earth. 

19  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,^  when  I  make  thee  a 
desolation,  like  the  cities  that  are  not  inhabited ;  when  I  bring 
the  deep  over  thee,  and  many  waters  cover  thee,  20  I  shall  hurl 
thee  down  to  them  who  have  descended  to  the  grave,  to  the  people 
of  old  time,  and  make  thee  dwell  in  the  under  world,  in  the 
eternal  desolations,  with  the  dead  who  have  gone  down  to  the 
grave,  that  thou  mayest  be  no  more  inhabited ;  and  I  will  create 
a  new  glorious  power  in  thy  place,  in  the  land  of  the  living.^ 
21  I  will  give  thee  up  to  utter  destruction,  and  thou  shalt  cease  to 
be ;  though  men  seek  for  thee  thou  shalt  never  be  found  more, 
says  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

A  second  oracle  paints  the  glory  of  the  great  city  under 
the  figure  of  a  ship  of  its  own  magnificent  merchant 
navy,  which  floated  on  every  sea,  as  that  of  Britain  does 
in  our  own  age. 

All  the  earth  had  contributed  towards  the  construc- 
tion and  outfit  of  the  splendid  vessel.  Its  rowers  and 
crew  were  the  most  skilful  and  the  bravest,  but  to  the 
dismay  of  all  men,  when  it  sailed  out  on  the  high  seas,  it 
was  wrecked  by  a  tempest  from  the  east.  This  striking 
figure  is  varied  by  the  introduction  of  a  description  of 
Tyre  itself,  its  trade  and  wealth;  but  as  much  of  the 

I  Ezek.  xxvi.  19-21.  2  Israel  ? 


THE    MUKDER    OF    GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OP   TYRE.    183 

chapter  ^  has  already  been   quoted  elsewhere/  only  the 
prophetic  picture  of  the  shipwreck  needs  be  given  here. 

25  Tarshish-ships  ^  were  thy  caravans  ^ ;  they  carried  thy  mer- 
chandise (0  Tyre),  and  thus  thou  wasb  made  exceeding  rich  and 
glorious  in  the  midst  of  the  sea.  (Bat)  thy  rowers  have  brought 
thee  out  on  the  high  sea,^  and  the  east  wind  has  broken  thee  up 
in  the  midst  of  the  ocean.  26  Thy  richps,  thy  merchandise,  thy 
goods  for  exchange, thy  sailors,  thy  steersmen,  thy  ship-carpenters, 
the  traders  who  sell  and  buy  thy  cargo,^  and  all  the  fighting  men 
in  thee,  even  all  the  multitude  on  board,  have  sunk  in  the  waters, 
in  the  day  of  thy  shipwreck.  28  The  coasts  tremble  at  the  wild 
cries  of  thy  steersmen,  29  and  all  that  ply  the  oar,  all  sailors, 
all  steersmen  of  sea-going  ships,  (thinking  no  one  safe,  since 
thou  hast  perished),  leave  their  ships  and  get  to  the  firm  ground, 
30  and  wail  aloud  for  thee,  (in  their  terror  and  sorrow),  and 
weep  bitterly,  and  throw  dust  on  their  heads,  and  strew  them- 
selves with  ashes,  31  and  shave  themselves  bald  for  thee,  and 
gird  themselves  with  sackcloth,  and  weep  over  thee  in  sadness 
of  heart,  with  bitter  wailing,  32  and  in  their  sorrow  ^  raise  a 
song  of  lament  for  thee—"  O  what  city  was  like  Tyre,  like  her 
that  is  made  silent  in  the  midst  of  the  waters  !  "  ^^  When  thy 
wares  were  borne  from  sea  to  sea,  thou  didst  supply  the  wants  of 
many  peoples  ;  thou  enrichedst  the  kings  of  the  earth  with  the 
wealth  of  thy  exports  and  thy  wares ;  34  but  now  thou  art  re- 
duced to  ruins  and  buried  in  the  midst  of  the  waves  ;  thy  goods 
and  all  thy  people  in  thee  have  sunk  into  the  depths  of  the 
waters  !  35  All  the  inhabitants  of  distant  coasts  will  be  thunder- 
struck at  thy  calamity,  their  kings  will  tremble  exceedingly, 
their  countenances  will  fall.  36  The  traders  of  other  lands  will 
mock  8  at  thee,  because  thou  hast  perished  suddenly,^  and  hast 
vanished  for  ever. 


1  Ezek.  xxvii.  1-24.  2  yol.  iii.  p.  351-2. 

^  Great  merchantmen,  like  our  old  "  Indiaraen,"  or  more  modern 
"  clippers."  *  Ezek.  xxvii.  25.  5  pg  ]xxvii.  19. 

^  =  Our  supercargo,  who  manages  all  the  commercial  aff'airs  of 
a  trading  voyage. 

^  "  Thy  sons  "  =  colonies,  EichJiorn.  The  words  are  very  nearly 
alike.  »  Lit.  "  hiss."  9  Ps.  Ixxiii.  19. 


184    THE    MUEDER    OF    GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OP    TYEE. 

In  another  discourse  anticipating  the  victory  of  Ne- 
buchadnezzar, Ezekiel,  as  the  siege  advanced,  dwells 
again  on  the  approaching  catastrophe,  the  very  idea  of 
which  was  as  terrible  in  the  ancient  world  as  that  of 
London  being  razed  to  the  ground  would  be  in  our  day. 
Ithobaal  11}  was  now  reigning  in  Tyre,  and  is  addressed 
by  the  prophet  as  personifying  his  subjects.  The  pride 
and  haughtiness  of  his  dynasty  made  him  a  fit  mark  for 
stern  denunciation  ;  for,  like  many  lines  of  ancient  kiugs^ 
it  claimed  descent  from  the  gods,  if,  indeed,  each  monarch 
did  not  arrogate  personal  divinity.^  But  ruler  and  people 
will  perish  together.  The  word  of  Jehovah,  says  Ezekiel, 
came  again  to  me,  as  follows : — 

2  Son  of  man,3  say  to  the  king  of  Tyre— tlins  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah:  Because  thy  heart  is  lifted  up  with  pride,  and  thou  hasD 
said,  "I  am  a  god,  and  I  sit  throned  as  one,  in  the  midst  of  the 
seas,"  though  thou  art  a  man  and  not  God,  and  because  thou 
thinkest  thy  wisdom  divine,  3  and  boastest  that  thou  art  wiser 
than  Daniel,"*  so  that  no  secret  can  hide  itself  from  thee  :  4  and 
that  thou  hast  gained  thy  power  by  thine  own  wisdom  and 
understanding,  and  by  them  gathered  gold  and  silver  unto  thy 
treasuries;  5  that  it  is  by  thy  supreme  skill  in  trading,  moreover, 
that  thy  might  has  grown  so  great,  and  because  thine  heart  is 
lifted  up  at  thy  riches  : 

6  Therefore  thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Because  thou  thinkest 
thy  understanding  like  that  of  a  god,  7  I  will  bring  the  barbari- 
ans ^  upon  thee,  tlie  fiercest  of  the  nations,  and  they  will  draw 
their  swords  aginst  thy  sun-like  wisdom,  and  profane  thy  divine 
lustre,  8  and  hurl  thee  down  to  the  grave,  and  thou  shalt  die 
like  a  common  man,  slain  in  the  midst  of  the  waters.  9  Wilt 
thou  say  "  I  am  a  god,"  before  him  who  slays  thee,  though  thou 

^  Jos,,  c.  Ap.,  i.  21.  ^  Ezek.  xxviii.  2. 

3  Ezek.  xxviii.  2-10. 

*  The  new  critics  evade  this  allusion  to  Daniel  by  saying  ifc 
refers  to  some  unknown  worthy  of  a  former  age ! 

*  Lit.,  "  stranger,  foreigner." 


THE    MURDER    OF    GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OF    TYRE.    185 

art  a  man  and  no  god  to  him  who  takes  thy  life?  lo  Thou  shalb 
die  the  death  of  the  uncircumcised,  by  the  hand  of  barbarians,* 
for  I  have  spoken,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

Ere  long  the  prophet  sees  him  lying  slain,  and  raises 
the  death  lament  over  him.  The  strophes  are  keenly 
sarcastic  in  their  tone,  recounting  the  lofty  pretensions  of 
the  king,  and  describing  him  as  a  radiant  cherub,  covered 
with  gold  and  precious  stones,  and  set  on  the  mount  of 
God  in  Eden,  but  falling  into  sin,  and  driven  from  Paradise 
to  find  a  miserable  end. 

12  Son  of  man  2— said  the  voice  in  his  breast— raise  a  death 
song  on  the  king  of  Tyre  and  say  to  him  :  Thus  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  O  thou  seal  and  keystone  of  the  Tyrian  States,  closing 
up  its  perfect  arch ;  full  of  wisdom  and  perfect  in  beauty ! 
13  Thou  didst  dwell  in  Eden,  the  garden  of  God,  and  wast  decked 
with  all  kinds  of  precious  stones,  the  sardine,  topaz,  diamond, 
chrysolite,  onyx,  jasper,  sapphire,  carbuncle,  beryl,  and  with  the 
gorgeous  golden  robes  made  by  thy  workmen  for  the  day  of  thy 
coronation  !  ^  14  I  set  thee  as  a  broad- winged  cherub  on  the  holy 
mount  of  God;  thou  walkedst  within  the  stones  of  fire,  (which 


*  The  Phenicians  were  apparently  circumcised,*  and  in  this  lies 
the  sting  of  the  prophet's  words.  They  imply  that  he  would  have 
no  lament  raised  for  him,  and  that  his  corpse  would  be  left 
unwashed,  undressed  with  grave-clothes,  and  perhaps  unburied 
— the  deepest  indignity  to  any  one,  far  less  to  a  king,  in  ancient 
times. 

2  Ezek.  xxviii.  11-19. 

^  This  passage  is  very  dark.  Keil  translates  it  "the  service  of 
thy  tabrets  and  of  thy  wives  was  with  thee ;  on  the  day  when 
thou  wast  created  (king)  were  they  ready."  The  drums  or  tabrets 
are  held  to  be  an  allusion  to  the  state  and  glory  of  his  accession; 
the  wives,  to  his  inheriting  the  harem  of  his  predecessor.  I  have 
followed  the  rendering  of  Eichhorn  mainly.  The  Sept.  reads, 
"With  gold  thou  hast  filled  thy  treasures  and  store-houses." 

•Movers  in  Ersch  und  Gruher,  vol.  iii.  pp.  24,  431.     Herod.,  ii.  104. 


186    THE    MURDER    OF    GEDALTAH^    AND    THE    SIEGE    OP   TYRE. 

guarded  the  sacred  spot.,  around,  with  a  flaming  wall).*  15  From 
the  day  of  thy  elevation  ^  thou  wast  blameless  in  thy  ways  till 
guilt  was  found  in  thee.^  16  Through  the  greatness  of  thy  com- 
merce thy  soul  ■*  was  filled  with  evil,  and  thus  thou  sinnedst. 
Therefore  I  will  cast  thee  out  of  the  mount  of  God,  and  will 
destroy  thee,^  0  guardian  cherub,  from  within  the  walls  of 
flaming  stones.  17  Thy  heart  lifted  itself  up  proudly,  because  of 
thy  prosperity.^  Thou  hast  spoiled  thy  wisdom  through  thy  glory 
corrupting  thee;  I  will  hurl  thee  to  the  dust,  I  will  make  thee 
a  sight  before  kings.  18  Through  the  multitude  of  thy  sins, 
in  thine  unrighteous  trading,  thou  hast  defiled  thy  sanctuaries;  ^ 
therefore  I  will  cause  fire  to  burst  out  of  thy  midst,  and  it  will 
devour  thee,  and  reduce  thee  to  ashes  on  the  earth,  before  all  who 
see  thee.  19  All  that  know  thee  among  the  nations  shall  be 
horrified  at  thee  ;  thou  shalt  be  a  terror  to  them  and  shalt  cease 
for  ever. 


*  "  I  set  thee  beside  the  cherub  on  the  holy  mount  of  God, 
thou  wast  in  the  midst  of  the  fiaming  stones." — Sept. 

This  seems  to  be  a  poetical  introduction  of  the  Eastern  mythi- 
cal conception  of  ''the  mount  of  the  assembly  (of  the  gods),"  Isaiah 
xiv.  13,  the  Olympos  of  the  Accadians,  by  whom  it  was  called 
"  The  Mountain  of  the  East."  Its  peak  was  the  pivot  on  which 
the  sky  rested,  and  hence  it  was  known,  also,  as  "The  Mount  of 
the  World."  It  lay  far  away  to  the  north-east,  and  was  the 
supposed  entrance  to  the  lower  world. 

2  Lit.,  "  creation." 

*  The  whole  passage  is  an  imaginative  parallel  of  the  Prince  of 
Tyre  with  Adam.  Eden,  the  cherubs,  the  creation- in  innocence, 
and  the  Fall,  all  indeed  that  is  recorded  in  the  opening  of  Genesis, 
were  thus  familiar  in  the  days  of  Ezekiel,  a  fact  to  ponder  in 
connection  with  the  new  criticism. 

4  Treasuries. — Sept.    Lit.,  "  inner  parts." 

^  The  covering  cherub  has  driven  thee,  etc, — Sept. 

^  Lit.,  "  beauty." 

?  The  Tyrian  State  is  conceived  as  the  Paradise  on  the  Mount 
of  God,  to  which  the  prince  was  the  protecting  cherub.  Its 
sanctuaries  he  had  defiled  by  the  sins  of  his  great  mercantile 
city. 


THE    MURDER    OF    GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OF    TYRE.    187 

SidoD,  wliicli  was  closely  related  to  Tyre,  could  not 
expect  to  escape  the  storm  of  war  wliicli  had  burst  on 
the  great  city.  An  oracle,  therefore,  announces  its  fate 
also. 

21  Sonof  man^ — said  the  Divine  Voice — set  thy  face  against  Sidon 
and  prophecy  against  it,  22,  saying.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  : 
Behold  I  atn  coming  against  thee,  O  Sidon:  and  -will  glorify 
Myself  on  thee,  that  men  may  know  that  I  am  Jehovah,  when 
I  execute  judgments  on  her,  and  have  shown  My  holiness  in  her. 
23  I  will  send  pestilence  into  her  and  blood  into  her  streets,  and 
the  slain  shall  fall  in  her  by  the  sword,  which  shall  press  in  on 
her  from  every  side,  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah. 

The  prophet  closes  the  long  roll  of  denunciations  of  the 
heathen  nations  round  Israel,  by  an  assurance  of  God's 
favour  to  His  ancient  people,  to  cheer  them  in  their 
humiliation  and  exile. 

24  There  shall  thus  be  no  more  a  thorn  to  prick  thee,  or  a 
spear  to  pierce  thee,  of  all  (the  nations)  round  thee,  that  despised 
thee,  but  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

A  promise  to  the  exiles,  that  God  would  bring  them 
back  again  to  their  own  land,  after  the  destruction  of  the 
enemies,  who  now  trampled  over  them,  concludes  this 
oracle. 

25  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  When  I  gather  the  House 
of  Israel  from  ouc  of  all  the  nations  among  whom  they  are  now 
scattered,  and  shall  have  shown  Myself  holy  in  them,  in  the  sight 
of  the  heathen,  then  shall  they  dwell  in  their  land  which  I  gave 
to  My  servant  Jacob.  26  There  they  will  dwell  in  safety,  and 
build  houses,  and  plant  vineyards,  and  live  in  peace,  when  I  have 
executed  judgments  on  all  that  despise  them  round  about ;  and 
they  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah  their  God. 

The  siege  of  Tyre,  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  had  begun  very 
soon  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem.     Unfortunately  our  in- 
1  Ezek.  xxviii.  20-26. 


188  THE  MURDER  OF  GEDALTAH,  AND  THE  SIEGE  OP  TYRE, 

formation  respecting  it,  tbougli  it  lasted  thirteen  years, 
from  B.C.  586  to  B.C.  573,  is  very  scanty.  It  is  thrice 
mentioned  by  Josephus,^  but  he  does  not  speak  of  the 
result.  The  silence  of  the  Syrian  historians  on  this  point, 
is,  however,  a  striking  proof  that  it  must  have  ended 
ingloriously  for  their  city.  If  the  defence  had  been  suc- 
cessful, it  would  assuredly  have  been  loudly  proclaimed. 
But  though  Nebuchadnezzar  took  the  city,  it  appears, 
from  a  passage  in  Ezekiel,"  that  he  did  not  give  it  up  to 
pillage,  and  thus  gravely  disappointed  his  soldiery,  who 
had  counted  on  sacking  it,  as  a  compensation  for  the  toils 
and  danger^  of  the  prolonged  siege.  Possibly  a  treaty 
may  have  been  made,  securing  its  being  spared  the 
horrors  of  storming  and  plunder,  in  consideration  of  such 
humiliating  conditions  of  heavy  tribute  as  were  familiar 
to  the  Plienicians  in  similar  conjunctures.  Egypt,  in- 
deed, is  said  by  Ezekiel*  to  be  given  to  the  Chaldean 
monarch  as  a  reward  for  having  done  against  Tyre  what 
Providence  had  designed.  But  if  Jerome  be  right,  it  is 
not  necessary  to  suppose  any  compromise.  "  Nebuchad- 
nezzar,^' he  tells  us,^  '^  when  he  besieged  Tyre,  and  could 
not  bring  up  his  rams,  towers,  and  tortoises,  because  it 
was  surrounded  by  the  sea.,  ordered  the  vast  multitude  of 
his  army  to  carry  stones  and  materials  for  a  mole,  and 
having  filled  up  the  narrow  interval  of  sea  (between  it 
and  the  mainland),  made  a  continuous  path  to  the  island. 
The  Tyrians  seeing  this  now  completed,  and  perceiving 
that  the  foundation  of  the  walls  were  being  shaken  by 
the  blows  of  the  battering  rams,  carried  off  in  ships,  to 
various  islands,  whatever  was  valuable  in  the  shape  of 
gold,  silver  or  goods,  so  that  when  the  city  fell,  Nebu- 

»  Jos.,  Ant,  X.  ix.  1.     a  Ap.,  I  19,  21. 

8  Ezek.  xxix.  17-20.  ^  Movers,  p.  448. 

"•  Ezek.  xxix.  20.  *  Hier.  in  Ezek.  ad  loc. 


THE    MURDER    OF   GEDALIAH,    AND    THE    SIEGE    OP   TYRE.    189 

chadnezzar  should  find  no  reward  for  his  labours/^  There 
is  evidence,  moreover,  that  Tyre  was  henceforth  ruled 
by  princes  strictly  tributary  to  Babylon,  some  of  them 
being  even  sent  from  the  Chaldean  capital.^ 

But  though  Tyre  was  thus  taken,  as  Ezekiel  had  pre- 
dicted, his  prophecy  that  it  would  be  razed  to  the  ground 
till  its  site  became  a  bare  rock,  on  which  men  would  spread 
their  nets,  proved  to  refer  to  a  later  period.  Nor  is  it 
wonderful  that  this  should  be  so,  since  the  time  of  the 
fulfilment  of  their  prophecies  is  expressly  said  to  have 
been  withheld  from  the  seers  divinely  inspired  to  utter 
them.2 

^  Fragment  of  Menander,  quoted  by  Josephus,  C.  Ap.,  i.  21. 

2  1  Peter  i.  11.  For  the  ultimate  fall  of  Tyre,  see  vol.  iv.  p.  340. 
The  dam,  built  by  Alexander  the  Great,  has  been  increased  by  the 
sand  thrown  up  by  the  sea,  to  a  broad  isthmus.  On  this  stands 
the  Tyre  of  the  present  day,  a  place  of  from  3,000  to  4,000  inhabit- 
ants, which  does  not  deserve  the  name  of  a  town.  The  houses 
are  mostly  mud  huts,  and  the  streets  crooked  and  filthy  passages. 
The  rubbish  of  the  old  city  covers  the  ground  for  nearly  two 
miles  outside  the  present  town  gate.  The  harbour  is  so  sanded 
up  and  filled  with  the  wreck  of  the  ancient  city,  that  only  small 
boats  can  enter.  Part  of  Tyre  is  under  the  sea;  much  of  it 
beneath  the  ground.  For  many  feet  deep,  the  soil  is  a  mass  of 
building  stones,  shafts  of  pillars  and  fragments  of  marble,  etc. 
Thus  has  Tyre  become  "  a  heap  of  ruins" — a  bare  rock  in  the  sea 
on  which  to  spread  nets,  for  the  sheds  and  shelters  now  raised 
on  part  of  its  ancient  site,  offer  no  contradiction  to  the  terrible 
decree  that  it  should  never  be  rebuilt.  Eob.,  PaZ.,  vol.  iii.  p.  670. 
V.  de  Velde,  vol.  i.  p.  145. 


^^^ 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT. 

WHILE  Nebuchadnezzar  was  detained  year  after 
year  in  Phenicia,  the  immigration  of  Jews  to 
Egypt  steadily  increased,  till  colonies  were  formed  not 
only  at  Tahpanhes,  but  at  Migdol,  twelve  miles  from 
Pelusium,  at  Noph  or  Memphis  in  the  Delta,  and  in  the 
land  of  Pathros,  which  was  the  name  for  Upper  Egypt 
generally,  and  especially  for  a  quarter  of  Thebes  and  the 
country  round  it.^  Exile  from  their  country  had  not  im- 
proved them.  Instead  of  seeking  Jehovah,  they  went 
back  to  the  idolatries  of  their  fathers,  refusing  to  listen 
to  Jeremiah,  though  recognised  as  a  true  prophet. 
Taking  advantage,  therefore,  of  a  great  gathering  of 
his  people  at  an  idolatrous  festival  in  Upper  Egypt ;  the 
aged  seer  once  more  warned  them  of  the  ruinous  conse- 
quences of  such  a  course. 

2  Thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  ^  the  God  of  Israel— cried  he — 
ye  have  seen  all  the  evil  that  I  have  brought  on  Jerusalem  and  all 
the  towns  of  Judah  ;  behold  they  are  desolate  to-day,  without  an 
inhabitant,  3  because  of  their  wickedness  which  they  did,  to 
provoke  me  to  anger  by  going  (to  idols),  to  burn  incense  (before 

1  Pathros,  in  Biehm.     See  Jer.  xliv.  1. 
3  Jer.  xliv.  2-14. 

190 


THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT.  191 

them),  and  serving  other  gods  which  neither  they  nor  their  fat  liers 
knew.  4  I  sent  you  all  my  servants,  the  prophets,  sent  them 
eagerly  and  constantly,  and  caused  them  to  say  to  you :  "  Oh,  do 
not  this  abomination,  which  I  hate."  5  But  they  would  not 
listen  or  incline  their  ear,  to  turn  from  their  wickedness,  and  not 
burn  incense  to  other  gods.  6  Then  my  indignation  and  my  fierce 
wrath  poured  itself  forth,  and  flamed  throughout  the  cities  of  Judah 
and  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  and  they  were  turned  into  desola- 
tion and  loneliness,  as  they  now  are.  7  And  now,  says  Jehovah 
of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel :  Why  do  ye  commit  so  great  wrong 
against  j'ourselves,  (in  the  face  of  such  warnings),  by  acting  iu  a 
way  that  must  end  in  cutting  off  man  and  woman,  child  and  suck- 
ling, from  Judah,  leaving  you  no  survivors  to  preserve  your  name  ? 
8  Why  do  ye  stir  me  to  wrath  by  your  conduct  in  burning  incense 
to  strange  gods  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  to  which  ye  have  come  for 
a  time— to  draw  down  on  yourselves  destruction,  and  cause  your- 
selves to  be  made  a  curse  ^  and  a  contempt  to  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth  ? 

9  Have  ye  (already)  forgotten  the  wickedness  of  your  fathers, 
and  of  the  kings  of  Judah  and  their  wives,-  and  your  own  wicked- 
ness and  that  of  your  wives,  which  they  committed  in  the  land  of 
Judah,  and  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  ?  10  Yet  they  are  not 
penitent^  (for  all  this),  even  now,  and  have  neither  feared  my 
law  and  my  statutes  that  I  set  before  you  and  your  fathers,  nor 
walked  in  them.  11  Therefore  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  the  God 
of  Israel :  Behold  I  set  my  face  against  you  for  evil,  to  cut  o(I  all 
Judah.  12  And  will  sweep  away  the  remnant  of  it  who  have  set 
their  faces  to  go  into  the  land  of  Egypt,  to  live  there  for  a  time. 
They  will  be  destroyed  and  fall  in  Egypt ;  they  will  perish,  small 
and  great,  by  the  sword  and  by  famine,  and  will  become  a  curse, 
an  astonishment,  an  execration,  and  a  scorn.  13  For  I  will 
punish  them  that  dwell  in  Egypt  as  I  punished  Jerusalem,  by 
sword,  famine  and  pestilence.  14  Very  few  of  the  remnant  of 
Judah  who  have  gone  into  Egypt,  to  dwell  there  awhile,  shall 

^  Men  would  imprecate  a  similar  fate  to  theirs,  on  those  to- 
wards whom  they  wished  evil. 

'  Heb.,  ''his  wives  "  =  the  wives  of  each.  The  Seyt.  has  "his 
princes,"  which  is  adopted  by  Ewald  and  Eichhorn. 

3  Lit.,  "  bruised.'' 


192  THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT. 

escape  or  survive,  to  go  back  to  the  land  of  Judah,  whither  their 
souls  yearn  to  return;  only  a  handful  of  fugitives  will  do  so. 

But  Jeremiah's  appeals  and  threats  were  equally  vain. 
Among  the  great  multitude  he  addressed,  no  voice  was 
lifted  in  favour  of  a  return  to  Jehovah.  In  the  idolatrous 
festival  they  had  gathered  to  observe,  the  women  took  a 
leading  part,  contrary  to  the  custom,  which  forbade  their 
sex  mingling  in  public  with  men ;  and  so  far  from  con- 
fessing guilt,  they  were  ready  to  defend  their  conduct.* 

i6  "With  respect 2  to  what  you  have  told  us  in  the  name  of 
Jehovah,"  said  their  representative,  **  we  shall  not  listen  to  you. 
17  We  sliall  do  what  we  please,  burning  incense  to  the  queen  of 
heaven,^  and  pouring  out  drink-offerings'*  to  her,  as  we  have  done 
in  the  past,  we  and  our  fathers,  our  kings  and  our  princes,  in  the 
towns  of  Judah  and  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  ;  for  then  we  had 
plenty  of  food  and  were  prosperous,  and  saw  no  trouble.  18  But 
since  Josiah's  days,  when  we  lefD  off  burning  incense  to  the  queen 
of  heaven,  and  pouring  out  drink-offerings  to  her,  we  have  been  in 
want  of  everything,  and  have  been  destroyed  by  sword  and  famine. 

^  The  words  (Jer.  xliv.  15)  "All  the  people  that  dwell  in  the 
land  of  Egypt,  in  Pathros,  answered  Jeremiah,"  illustrates  the 
similar  expression  in  the  Pentateucli,  that  all  the  people  assembled 
before  Moses  and  weie  addressed  by  him.  The  meaning  in  both 
cases  is,  that  a  great  number,  who  in  a  manner  represented  the 
whole,  were  present. 

2  Jer.  xliv.  15-19. 

3  The  moon,  or  the  planet  Venus.  Jer.  vii.  17,  18 ;  see  vol.  v. 
pp.  32,  36.  The  goddess  Astarte,  was  the  personification  of  the 
moon  (Baudisson,  in  IIerzog,2te  Aufg.,  vol.  x.  p.  216);  or  per- 
haps, Yenus,  as  the  star  that  leads  the  moon  to  her  husband, 
the  sun  (Bauclisson  in  Herzog,  2te  Aufg.,  vol.  i.  p.  721).  In  either 
case,  the  moon  was  "  the  queen  of  heaven."  But  it  is  a  question 
whether  Astarte,  whom  the  Jewesses  so  devoutly  worshipped,  was 
the  moon  or  Venus.  The  supposition  that  she  represented  the 
latter,  has  led  Venus  to  be  supposed  "the  queen  of  heaven,"  by 
some. 

^  Drink-offerings  of  wine. 


THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT. 


193 


19  Moreover,  wlien  we  women  burn  iticense  to  the  queen  of 
lieaven,  and  pour  out  drink-ofTerings  to  liei-,  we  do  so  with  the  full 
knowledge  of  our  husbands,'  both  as  to  our  making  cakes  in  her 
image,  ^  and  pouring  out  offerings  to  her." 

To  this   Jeremiali  promptly  replied,   that  though  the 
national  misfortunes  were  thus  ascribed   to  the  prohibi- 
tion by  Josiah,   of  moon-worship   and  other  idolatries, 
they  were  rather  the  result 
of   the    re-introduction    of 
these    superstitrions,     with 
their   inevitably    attendant 
moral  corruption. 

2 1  How  ?  ^  Has  Jehovah  then 
forgotten  your  often  repeated 
offering  of  incense,  burned  in 
the  towns  of  Judah,  by  you, 
and  your  fathers,  your  kings, 
and  your  princes?  Have  they 
not  rather  sunk  into  His  heart, 
22  so  that  Jehovah  could  no 
longer  bear  you,  because  of  the 
evil  of  your  doings  and  the 
abominations  ye  committed, 
and  is  it  not  on  their  account 
that  your  land  is  now  desolate 
and  a  curs^e,  and  without  an 
inhabitant  ?  23  Yes  !  it  is  just 
because  you  have  burned  in- 
cense and  sinned  against  Je- 
hovah, and  have  not  obeyed  the  voice  of  Jehovah,  nor  walked  in 
His  laws,  statutes  and  testimonies,  that  the  evil  ye  now  endure 
has  come  upon  you. 

*  Num.  XXX.  6,  7. 

2  A  Phenician  sacrificial  tariff,  found  lately  in  Cyprus,  mentions 
as  one  item  of  the  temple  accounts,  "  For  two  bakers  who  baked 
the  cakes  ft)r  the  (holy)  queen  (of  heaven)." 

3  Jer.  xliv.  20-23. 

VOL.  VI.  O 


IsTAB,  AsTABTE  ;  or  Ashtoreth, 

For  another  figure  of  the  goddess, 
vol.  V.  p.  31. 


194  THE    JEWISH   COLONIES    IN    EGYPT. 

But;  their  past  and  present  sufferings  were  not  all  they 
would  suffer  for  tbeir  apostasy  from  Jehovah.  Still 
worse  was  to  follow. 

24  Hear  the  word  of  Jehovah,*  all  Judah,  who  are  in  the  land 
of  Egypt.  25  Thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  : 
Ye  and  your  wives,  (before  me),  have  carried  out  with  your 
hands  (now  bearing  sacred  cakes  for  the  moon  goddess)  the 
words  of  your  lip<,  when  ye  said,  "  We  shall  assuredly  pay  the 
vows  we  have  made,  to  burn  incense  to  the  queen  of  heaven,  and 
pour  out  drink  offerings  to  her."  Perform  your  vows  by  all 
means;  fail  not  to  do  so  !  26  But  hear  the  word  of  Jehovah  to  all 
Judah  that  dwell  in  the  land  of  Egypt:  Behold,  I  have  sworn 
by  My  great  name,  says  Jehovah:  Verily  it  shall  no  more  be 
uttered  by  any  man  of  Judah  in  all  Egypt,  saying,  "  As  the  Lord 
Jehovah  lives;"  27  for,  behold  I  will  watch  over  them  to  do 
them  evil,  not  good,  so  that  all  the  men  of  Judah  that  are  in 
Egypt  shall  perish  by  the  sword  and  famine,  till  they  are  all 
gone.  28  For  they  that  escape  the  sword  and  return  out  of 
Egypt  to  Judah  will  be  very  few,  and  all  the  remnant  of  Judah 
that  have  come  to  Egypt,  to  sojourn  in  it  for  a  time,  shall 
know  whose  word  shall  stand,  Mine  or  theirs.  29  And  that  ye 
may  know  that  My  word  spoken  against  you  to  your  hurt  shall 
be  carried  out,  let  this  serve  as  a  sign  to  you,  says  Jehovah  : 
30  Behold  I  will  give  Pharaoh- Hophra  king  of  Egypt  into  the 
hand  of  his  enemies  *  and  into  the  hand  of  those  who  seek  His 
life,  as  I  gave  Zedekiah  king  of  Judah  into  the  hand  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, king  of  Babylon,  his  mortal  foe. 

The  ruin  of  the  Egyptian  king  under  whom  the 
fugitive  Jews  had  taken  refuge^  became  from  this  time 
a  frequent  subject  with  the  two  pmphet- exiles,  Jeremiah 
and  Ezekiel,  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile  and  on  the  banks 
of  the  Chebar. 

Tyre  had  been  besieged  by  Nebuchadnezzar  only  as  a 
step  towards  the  conquest  of  Egypt,  now  the  great  ally 

1  Jer.  xliv.  24-30, 

2  He  was  murdered  by  Amasis,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter. 


THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT.  195 

of  the  Phenicians  against  Babylon  as,  in  former  times, 
against  Assyria.  Till  the  great  trading  city  was  humbled, 
it  would  have  been  perilous  to  invade  the  valley  of  the 
Nile ;  but  the  determination  of  the  Great  King  to  follow 
up  the  submission  of  Tyre  by  marching  against  Pharaoh, 
was  not  concealed.  The  question  of  supremacy  in  Western 
Asia  must  be  finally  settled.  As  to  the  issue,  it  could 
hardly  be  doubtful,  for  the  legions  of  Egypt  could  not 
hope  to  resist  the  terrible  hosts  of  Chaldea,  under  a 
king  who  was  the  greatest  general  of  the  age.  It  would 
not  excite  surprise,  therefore,  when  Jeremiah,  always  the 
opponent  of  the  Pharaoh,  and  loyal  to  Babylon,  made 
the  announcement,  as  the  siege  of  Tyre  drew  near  its 
end,  that  the  Chaldean  would  come  and  smite  the  land  of 
the  Nile.i 

While  the  inevitable  overthrow  of  the  kingdom  of 
the  Pharaohs,  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  was  thus  proclaimed 
in  Jerusalem  and  in  Egypt  itself,  Ezekiel  sounded  its 
doom  from  the  banks  of  the  Chebar.  Already,  before 
the  fall  of  the  Holy  City,  he  had  foreseen  and  repeatedly 
announced  the  conquest  of  the  Nile  Valley  as  the  certain 
issue  of  that  monarches  campaigns  in  Syria.-  Tyre  on 
the  mainland  had  yielded  to  the  Chaldean  arms  almost 
at  the  same  time  as  the  capital  of  Judah,^  and  the  island 
city  of  Tyre,  which  afterwards  made  so  long  a  defence, 
alone  resisted  his  arms  in  Syria.  The  Great  King  had 
awaited  at  Riblah  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  before  beginning 
this  final  effort,  little  dreaming  it  would  task  his  resources 
as  it  did."*     Yet  the  issue  could  not  be  doubted  by  the 

1  Jer.  xlvi.  13.         2  Ezek.  xxix.  1-16;  xxx.  20-25;  xxxi.  1-18. 

'  Riietschi  in  Herzog,  2te  Auf.,  Art.  Nebucadnezar.  Jer.  xxvii. 
61,  59.     Ezek.  xxxii.  30. 

■*  Fall  of  Jerusalem,  b.c.  586 ;  siege  of  Tyre,  B.C.  585-572. — 
Riietschi. 


196  THE   JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT. 

kingdoms  which  had  fallen,  one  after  the  other,  before 
the  great  conqueror.  The  thirteen  years  of  the  siege 
were  partly  utilized  to  chastise  the  refractory  peoples  of 
Palestine — Aramon,  Moab,  Edom,  the  Philistines,  and 
Damascus,  with  the  Arabs  round  ^ — thus  fulfilling  the 
predictions  of  the  prophets  against  these  nations;  but 
their  subjugation,  and  that  of  insular  Tyre,  were  only 
steps  towards  the  ultimate  conquest  of  Egypt,  the  ancient 
rival  for  the  dominion  of  Western  Asia. 

The  siege  had  hardly  commenced  before  Ezekiel 
destroyed  the  last  hopes  of  the  Egyptian  faction  in 
Babylonia,  by  renewing  his  warning,  that  Pharaoh,  so 
far  from  being  able  to  help  Judah,  was  doomed. 

2  Son  of  man 2 — said  the  Divine  Voice  to  him  about  the  beginninf^ 
of  B.C.  534)  ^ — raise  a  lamentation'*  for  Pharaoh,  king  of  Egypt,  and 
say  to  him;  Thou  wast  like  a  young  lion  among  the  nations;  thou 
wasb  like  a  great  crocodile  in  the  waters  (of  thy  land) ;  thou 
dashedst  through  thy  streams,^  and  troubledst  the  waters  with 
thy  feet  and  tossedst  np^  their  floods^  3  Thus  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah :  I  will  spread  oub  My  neb  over  thee  by  the  help  of  many 
nations,  and  they  shall  draw  thee  out  (of  thy  waters)  in  My  net.^ 
4  And  I  will  cast  thee  down  on  th  e  land;  I  will  sling  thee  out 
on  the  face  of  the  open  ground,  a  nd  make  all  the  birds  of  heaven 
light  and  stay  on  thee,  (to  devour  thee),  and  I  will  fill  the  wild 

^  Ezek.  XXV.     Jos.,  Ant.,  X.  ix.  7.  2  Ezek.  xxxii.  1-16. 

3  Twelfth  month  of  the  twelfth  year  of  the  Captivity.  Smend 
says,  March,  B.C.  584.  **  As  over  the  dead. 

5  By  a  very  slight  emendation,  Ewald  renders  this  clause,  "thou 
tossedst  up  (spray)  through  thy  nostrils."  See  Job  xli.  20.  But 
does  the  crocodile  cast  spray  oub  of  its  nostrils?  Yet,  in  a 
poetical  way  the  figure  may  refer  to  the  water  dashed  up  before 
him  in  his  onward  rush. 

^  Lit.,  "  didsb  bread."  ^  Same  word  as  "  streams." 

^  The  bwo  words  for  "neb  "  are  different,  bub  their  distinctive 
features  are  nob  known.  The  last  word  comes  from  a  root  "  to 
enclose." 


THE   JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT.  197 

beasts  of  tlie  whole  eiu'th  with  thee.  5  And  I  will  strew  thy 
flesh  on  tlie  mountains  round,  and  fill  the  valleys  with  thy  foul 
carcase.  6  I  will  also  soak  the  land  it)  which  thou  swimmest, 
even  to  the  mountains,  with  the  gushing  out  of  thy  blood;  the 
torrent-beds^  will  be  filled  with  it.  7  And  when  I  quench  thy 
light,  I  will  darken  the  heaven  and  its  stars;  I  will  veil  the  sun 
with  clouds  and  the  moon  will  not  give  her  light.  8  All  the 
shining  lights  in  heaven  will  I  make  black  over  thee,  and  pour 
darkness  over  thy  land,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

9  I  will  trouble  the  heart  of  many  peoples  when  I  publish 
thy  destruction  among  the  nations,  in  lands  which  thou  hast  not 
known.  10  I  will  paralyse  many  peoples  with  fear  through  thy 
fate;  their  kings  will  shake  with  terror  at  it,  when  I  brandish 
My  sword  before  their  eyes;  and  they  will  tremble  continually, 
each  for  his  own  life,  in  the  day  of  thy  fall.  11  For  thus  says 
the  Lord  Jehovah;  The  sword  of  the  king  of  Babylon  will  smite 
thee.  12  By  the  swords  of  mighty  men — the  fiercest  of  the 
nations,  all  of  them — will  I  overthrow  thy  multitude ;  and  they 
•will  lay  waste  all  that  lifts  itself  up  proudly  in  Egypt,  and  all  its 
multitude  will  be  destroyed.  13  And  I  will  destroy  all  its  cattle 
from  beside  its  matiy  waters,-  so  that  no  foot  of  man  nor  hoof  of 
beast  shall  trouble  these  waters  more.  14  After  that  I  will  make 
them  settle  and  grow  clear,^  and  their  canals  flow  like  oil,  says 
the  Lord  Jehovah.  15  Then,  when  I  have  made  the  land  of 
Egypt  a  desolation,  and  it  is  stripped  of  its  abundance,  when 
I  have  smitten  all  that  dwell  in  it,  they  will  know  that  I  am 
Jehovah. 

16  This  is  the  lamentation  that  they  will  raise  ;  the  daughters 
of  the  nations  shall  chant  it ;  they  will  sing  this  dirge  for  Egypt, 
and  for  all  her  multitude,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

A  fortnight  later*  Ezekiel  returned  to  a  subject  so 
engrossing.     He  sees  the  teeming  population  of  the  Nile 

*  The  Aphikim,  lit.,  "  swift  rushes  of  water."  In  Egypt  they 
could  only  refer  to  the  canals.  -  Canals,  etc. 

3  The  Nile  fertilizes  Egypt  by  its  black  mud,  whence  it  is  called 
"  The  black."  Ezekiel  poetically  sees  it  become  a  clear  flowing 
stream  in  the  Messianic  times. 

*  On  the  15th,  doubtless  of  the  twelfth  month,  though  the 
copyist  has  omitted  to  give  the  number. 


198  THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT. 

Valley  overwhelmed  by  Nebucliadnezzar.  The  conquest 
of  any  power  or  kingdom  in  those  days  was  its  virtual 
extinction ;  like  its  sons  slain  in  battle,  the  State  itself 
might  be  said  to  have  gone  down  to  the  grave.  Egypt, 
therefore,  crushed  by  the  Chaldean,  is  seen  in  Sheol ;  a 
companion,  now,  of  the  shades  of  mighty  empires  that 
had  passed  away  before  her.  Their  presence  is  her  only 
miserable  consolation. 

17  The  word  of  Jehovah^— says  the  prophet— came  to  me  thus: 
18  Son  of  man!  lift  up  a  wailing  for  the  multitude  of  Egypt, 
and  cast  her  down,  like  the  daughters  -  of  (other)  famous 
nations  (before  her),  into  the  underworld,  to  them  that  have 
already  descended  to  the  grave!  19  Art  thou  any  fairer  than 
others  ?  Get  thee  down,  and  lie  (dishonoured)  among  the  un- 
circumcised.3  20  The  Egyptians  shall  fall  among  those  slain  by 
the  sword  !  It  is  already  given  (to  liim  who  shall  use  it !)  Draw 
down  Egypt  and  all  her  multitudes  (to  the  shades  oP  tlie  grave, 
ye  powers  of  the  underworld) !  21  The  mighty  heroes  (already  in 
Sheol),  say  from  its  depths,  o£  Pharaoh  and  his  supporters, 
(now  with  themselves)  :  "  They  have  come  down  hither,  there  they 
lie,  the  uncircumcised,  slain  with  the  sword"?"* 

The  great  kingdoms  of  the  past,  visited  for  their  sins, 
like  Pharaoh  himself,  are  already  in  the  underworld, 
and  greet  him  when  he  enters  it,  to  lie  down  in  the  grave 
among  them,  with  all  his  host. 

22  Asshur  is  there  in  Sheol,  with  all  its  host;  its  king,  sur- 
rounded by  the  graves  of  his  people,  all  of  them  slain,  pierced  by 
the   sword.     23  Their  graves  are  made  in  the  depths  of  Sheol, 


1  Ezek.  xxxii.  17-32-  2  Population. 

3  '*  Uncircumcised  "  was  the  lowest  word  of  contempt  in  the 
mouth  of  a  Jew. 

^  And  hence  without  honourable  burial.  "  Uncircumcised  "  is 
used  as  equivalent  to  "  vile,"  "  degraded,"  "  unclean,"  because  not 
purified  by  funeral  rites. 


THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT.  "  199 

those  of  his  host  round  that  of  the  Great  King;  all  slain,  pierced 
by  the  sword  that  caused  terror  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

24  Elam  is  there  and  her  whole  multitude,  round  the  grave  of 
its  king;  all  slain,  pierced  by  the  sword,  gone  down,  uncircum- 
cised,  to  the  underworld  :  they  who  spread  terror  in  the  land  of 
the  living,  now  bear  the  shame  of  death  with  those  already  lying 
in  the  grave.  25  They  set  Elam  a  bier  in  the  midst  of  the  graves 
of  her  hosts,  all  of  them  round  about  her,  all  of  them  uncircum- 
cised,  slain  in  battle  ;  for  though  they  spread  terror  in  the  land  of 
tlie  living,  they  now  lie  humbled  among  those  already  in  the 
grave.     Elam  is  laid  in  the  midst  of  the  slain  ! 

26  Meshech  and  Tubal  ^  the  fierce  Scythian  tribes,  with  all  their 
multitude,  are  there  ;  their  graves  round  about  that  of  their  chief; 
all  of  them  uncircumcisred,  slain  in  battle — they  who  spread  terror 
in  the  laud  of  the  living  !  27  They  lie  not  with  the  heroes  of  the 
uncircumcised,  gone  down  to  Sheol  with  their  weapons  of  war, 
their  swords  laid  under  their  heads,  ^  but  their  iniquities  have 
come  on  their  very  bones,  because  they  were  a  terror  to  the  valiant 
in  the  land  of  the  living. 

28  Thou,  also,  (0  Egypt,)  shalt  lie  shattered  among  the  un- 
circumcised, with  them  that  are  slain  by  the  sword  ! 

29  Edom  lies  there,  her  kings,  and  all  her  princes,  mighty  as 
they  were,  laid  among  them,  slain  by  the  sword,  with  the  uncir- 
cumcised and  those  gone  down  to  the  pit ! 

30  There  lie  the  princes  of  the  North  of  Syria  and  Phenicia — 
all  of  them,  and  all  the  Sidonians,  gone  down  to  the  shades  of  the 
slain;  terror-inspiring  once,  brought  to  shame  now  !  They  lie,  un- 
circumcised, among  those  slain  with  the  sword,  bearing  a  common 
shame  with  the  rest  of  the  dead ! 

31  All  these  will  Pharaoh  see  (when  he  goes  down,  like  them, 
to  Sheol),and  take  better  comfort  to  himself  (at  the  sight  of  them), 
for  the  slaughter  of  all  his  host,  (now  gathered  around  him,  there 
once  more,  as  pale  ghosts),  for  Pharaoh  and  all  his  army  will  be 

1  Yol.  i.  p.  230-233;  vol.  v.  pp.  164  ff.  Sayce  says  the  Scythians 
came  from  the  steppes  of  Southern  Russia.  Others  think  of  the 
regions  behind  Caucasus.    Fresh  Light,  p.  155. 

'  Burial  of  the  weapons  of  war  with  the  dead  was  common  in 
antiquity,  as  it  is  now  in  some  uncivilized  countries.  Virgil,  ^n., 
6,  233.     Arrian,  i.  6.     Diod.  Sic,  xviii.  26. 


200  THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT. 

slain  in  battle,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah.  32  I  put  the  terror  of 
him  into  the  hearts  of  men  in  the  land  of  the  living,  but,  (for  all 
that)  he  will  be  stretched  out  among  the  uncircumcised,  with 
them  that  are  slain  by  the  sword;  Pharaoh  and  all  his  host,  says 
the  Lord  Jehovah. 

Thus  saDg  tlie  propliet  in  tlie  year  B.C.  584,  nineteen 
months  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem.  The  years  that 
followed  saw  the  Chaldean  forces  straining  every  nerve  to 
conquer  insular  Tyro.  Nebuchadnezzar  triumphed  after 
his  thirteen  years'  siege ;  but,  as  we  have  seen,  the  city, 
though  taken,  was  spared. ^  The  cup  of  its  iniquity  was 
not  yet  full,  and  its  utter  overthrow  was  delayed  to  a 
later  age.  But  the  fate  of  Egypt  was  sealed  by  the 
submission  of  Tyre.  Now  tributary  to  the  Great  King, 
and  no  longer  a  source  of  danger  in  his  rear,  he  was  free 
to  march  to  the  Nile.  Thither,  therefore,  his  victorious 
legions  advanced,  in  the  fighting  season  of  the  year  B.C.- 
572  or  571,  immediately  after  the  siege  of  the  Phenician 
capital  was  ended.  Fourteen  or  fifteen  years  had  passed 
since  Ezekiel's  former  predictions,  that  Pharaoh  would 
be  defeated,  but  though  his  dirge  and  that  of  his  host 
had   been    sung    on   the    Chebar   so    long    before,    the 

^  It  is  satisfactory  to  nolo  that  Winer,  Bealw.,  vol.  ii.  p.  638 
and  Hitzig,  Jes.,  p.  273,  Ezech.,  p.  227,  speak  of  Nebuchadnezzar 
as  having  taken  insular  Tyre.  Some  of  the  new  critics  take  for 
granted,  from  Ezek.  xxix.  18,  that  the  siege  had  failed ;  but  if  it 
had,  the  Chaldean  king  could  nob  have  marched  on  to  the  con- 
quest of  Egypt,  It  must  have  been  successful,  though  the  city 
was  spared  the  horrors  of  a  sack.  No  cuneiform  record  of  the 
campaigns  of  Nebuchadnezzar  against  Judah  and  Tyre  has  yet 
been  discovered;  but  a  curious  inscription,  carved  by  his  orders 
on  the  rocks  of  the  Dog  River,  about  eight  miles  north  of  Beirut, 
came  to  light  about  two  years  ago.  Unfortunately,  it  is  much 
worn,  and  the  best  preserved  passage  speaks  only  of  the  famous 
wines  of  Lebanon  and  Helbon. 


TflE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT.  201 

prophet's  faith  in  the  ultimate  result  had  never  been 
shaken.^  AVhen  Tyre  at  last  fell,  he  returned  to  the 
subject.  On  the  first  day  of  the  seven  and  twentieth 
year  of  Jehoiachin's  captivity/  and  of  his  own,  the  word 
of  Jehovah,  he  tells  us,  came  to  him  saying  : — 

1 8  Son  of  man,*  Kebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  has  made  his 
army  go  through  bard  service  against  Tjre ;  every  head  is  bald 
and  every  shoulder  rubbed  bare  (with  pushing  the  war  machines 
and  such  like  toil),  and  neither  he  nor  his  host  has  had  any  return 
from  the  city,  for  their  toil  in  besieging  it.  19  Therefore,  thus 
says  the  Lord  Jehovah :  Behold,  I  give  over  the  land  of  Egypt  to 
him  (as  a  recompense),  and  he  will  carry  off  its  wealth  and  seize 
its  spoils  and  plunder  its  booty,  and  this  will  be  the  reward  of 
bis  army.  20  I  have  given  him  the  land  of  Egypt  for  his  service 
against  Tyre,  because  his  host  were  working  for  Me,  says  the 
Lord  Jehovah.  21  In  that  day  I  will  make  a  horn  shoot  forth  to 
the  House  of  Israel,  and  I  will  open  thy  mouth  in  their  midst,^ 
and  they  will  know  that  I  am  Jehovah. 

Egypt  had  filled  a  great  place  in  the  foreign  relations 
of  the  whole  reign  of  Nebuchadnezzar.  Just  before  his 
accession,  while  Crown  Prince,  he  had  fought  the  great 
battle  of  Carchemish,  which  expelled  Pharaoh  Necho 
from  Western  Asia.  In  587,  he  had  been  disturbed 
during  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  by  the  attempt  of  Pharaoh 
Necho  to  relieve  that  city ;  and  during  the  siege  of  Tyre, 
Egypt  had  apparently  aided  the  Phenicians.  A  burning 
thirst  for  revenge  was  thus  kept  alive  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Great  King,  and  this  fact  w^as  doubtless  known  widely. 

^  The  date  of  the  prophecies  in  Ezek.  xxix.  17-21  and  xxx. 
1-19,  must  have  been  about  B.C.  571,  seventeen  years  after  the 
fall  of  Jerusalem. 

2  B.C.  598  -  27  =  571.  ^  Ezek.  xxix.  17-21. 

*  A  Messianic  time  will  follow,  in  which  the  prophet,  justified 
by  the  fulfilment  of  his  prediction,  will  be  able  to  speak  more 
freely  than  in  the  hostile  past. 


202  THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT, 

Alike  on  tlie  Nile  and  on  tlie  Chebar,  the  threats  of  the 
Babylonian  conqueror  must  have  been  constantly  dis- 
cussed in  the  colonies  of  Hebrew  exiles,  so  long  zealous 
partisans  or  opponents  of  Egypt.  It  was  natural,  there- 
fore, that  the  prophet-preachers  of  the  day  should 
often  recur  to  the  subject.  Hence,  perhaps  the  latest 
utterance  of  Ezekiel  which  we  possess,  reverts  to  it  once 
more.  In  the  thirtieth  chapter  of  his  Book,  he  tells  us 
that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  again  to  him,  apparently 
soon  after  the  prediction  last  quoted,  foretelling  the 
excitement  that  would  be  felt,  even  in  Ethiopia,  on  the 
news  of  the  downfall  of  Egypt  and  its  allies. 

2  Son  of  man* — said  the  Divine  Voice — prophesy  and  say,  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  Wail  aloud  !  "  Alas  for  this  evil  day  ! " 
3  For  tbe  day  is  near,  the  day  o£  Jehovah,  a  day  of  dark  clouds! 
the  time  (of  the  judgment)  of  the  heathen !  4  The  sword  will 
come  on  Egypt,  and  trembling  on  Eihiopia,  when  the  slain  fall 
in  Egypt,  and  the  enemy  carries  otf  its  wealth,  and  its  very 
foundations  are  destroyed.  5  The  contingent  of  Ethiopians,  the 
men  of  Phut,-  the  men  of  Lad,  and  all  the  mixed  tribes  of  desert 
allies,  the  Lybiaus^  (fighting  in  their  ranks),  and  all  the  vassal 
peoples*  shall  fall  by  the  sword. 

All  the  allies  of  Egypt  will  be  destroyed,  and  the 
country  laid  desolate. 

6  Thus  says  Jehovah :  All  the  supports  of  Egypt  will  fall,^  and 
its  proud  might  will  sink.  From  Migdol  on  the  borders  of 
Palestine,  to  Syene,  far  south,  on  the  cataracts  of  the  Nile,  they 
shall  fall  by  the  sword,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah.     7  Egypt  will 


1  Ezek.  XXX.  1-19. 

2  Sayce  thinks    Phut  was  the  Egyptian  Punt,  on  the   Somali 
coast.     Fresh  Light,  p.  47. 

^  Ewald  has  "  Nubians."  *  Lit.,  "  sons  of  the  covenant." 

*  The  idols,  princes,  strong  cities,  and  warriors.      See  vers.  13, 
15,  17. 


THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT.  203 

be  desolate  in  the  midsfc  of  desolate  lands,  and  her  cities  waste 
in  the  midst  of  waste  cities.  8  And  they  shall  know  that  I  am 
Jehovah,  when  I  kindle  a  conflagration  in  Egypt,  and  all  her 
supporters^  are  destroyed.  9  On  that  day,  messengers  sent  off 
by  Me,  will  start  in  swifc  Nile  boats,  to  alarm  the  Ethiopians 
dwelling  in  fancied  security,  and  terror  will  seize  them  when  the 
day  of  Egypt  arrives,  for,  lo,  it  comes  ! 

Nebuchadnezzar  has  been  chosen  by  God  to  carry  out 
the  Divine  purposes,  and  the  ruin  he  will  inflict  will  be 
terrible. 


Stene  (Assouan)  Dueing  the  Overflow  of  the  Nile. 

TO  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  I  will  make  an  end  of  the 
hum  of  men  in  Egypt,  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  king  of  Babylon. 
II  He  and  his  people  witli  him — the  fiercest  of  the  nations— will 
be  brought  to  destroy  this  land;  they  will  draw  their  swords 
against  Egypt,  and  fill  the  land  with  the  slain.  12  And  I  will  dry 
up  the  Nile  canals,  and  give  the  land  into  the  hand  of  a  rapa- 
cious soldiery ,2  and  lay  it  and  all  that  is  in  it  waste,  by  the  hand 
of  barbarians  ;  I,  Jehovah,  have  spoken  ! 

A  fuller  rehearsal  of  the  sorrows  that  will  befall  the 
doomed  land  follows. 

13  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah:  I  will  destroy  the  blocks  of 
wood  they  call  gods,  and  root  out  the  worthless  idols  from  Mem- 

»  Lit.,  "  helpers." 

*  This  is  the  meaning  of  "  selling"  it  to  "  the  wicked.'* 


204  THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT. 

phis,^  and  (Tor  the  time)  there  will  be  no  more  a  prince  of  the  land 
of  Ep^ypr,  and  I  will  spread  fear  throughout  its  borders.  14  And 
I  will  make  Pathros — that  is,  Upper  Egypt — desolate,  and  will 
kindle  a  conflagration  in  Zoan-Tanis— in  Lower  Egypt — and  will 
execute  My  judgments  in  No-Amon— or  Thebes,  the  capital  of 
Upper  Egypt.  15  And  I  will  pour  My  fury  on  Pelusium — or  Sin, 
the  frontier  fortress  of  the  land,  (on  its  north-east  border),  and  I 
will  cut  off  the  multitude  of  Thebes.  16  And  I  will  kindle  a  con- 
flagration in  Egypt;  Pelusium  will  tremble  greatly,  and  Thebes 
be  captured,  and  Memphis  stormed  in  the  daytime.  17  The 
young  men  of  On  "  or  Bethaven- — the  hea<l  quarters  of  idolatry — ■ 
and  of  Bubastis,  will  fall  by  the  sword,  and  the  population  of  both 
cities  will  be  led  off  into  captivity.  18  At  Talipanhes  the  day 
will  be  darkened  when  I  break  the  supports  of  Egypt  there,  and 
make  an  end  of  her  haughty  piide ;  a  cloud  will  cover  her,  and  the 
towns — her  daughters— will  be  led  off  into  captivity.  19  Thus 
will  I  execute  judgments  in  Egypt,  and  they  shall  know  that  I 
am  Jehovah. 

The  fulfilment  of  these  successive  prophecies  was 
strikingly  complete.  Nebuchadnezzar  seems  to  have 
been  compelled  to  turn  his  arms  for  a  time  in  some 
otlier  direction,  after  the  fall  of  insular  Tyre,  before 
marching  against  Egypt.  According  to  Greek  writers, 
Pharaoh  Hophra  used  this  interval  to  i5t  out  a  great  fleet, 
built  on  the  then  famous  Greek  model,  and  manned 
by  lonians  and  Carians,  and  sent  them  to  Phenician 
waters,  to  stir  up,  if  possible,  a  rising  against  the  Chal- 
deans, so  as  to  keep  them  from  the  Nile  Valley.  Weak 
on  the  land,  Hophra  seemed  more  likely  to  be  successful 
by  sea,  as  the  Chaldeans  were  indebted,  in  naval  matters, 
chiefly  to  allies.  His  only  measure  of  defence  in  his  own 
territories  was  to  fortify  and  strongly  garrison  the  fron- 
tier town  Pelusium,^  trusting  to  its  detaining  the  Great 

*  The  special  seat  of  the  worship  of  Ptah  and  Apis. 

2  Heliopolis,  Bethaven, "  House  of  Nothingness."  Aven  and  On, 
in  Hebrew,  have  the  same  consonants;  a  change  of  vowels  only 
making  the  difference.  ^  Ezek.  xxx.  15. 


THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT.  205 

King  by  the  slowness  of  a  siege,  while  the  Egyptian 
navy  was  busy  in  his  rear.  But  the  Phenician  cities,  de- 
moralized by  recent  defeat,  were  not  disposed  to  embroil 
themselves  again  with  Nebuchadnezzar.  He  had  razed 
continental  Tyre  to  the  ground,  and  might  do  the  same 
with  other  towns,  if  they  rose  against  him.  Their  fleets, 
therefore,  instead  of  joining  that  of  Egypt,  sailed  over 
to  the  neighbouring  Cyprus,  and  united  with  the  navies 
of  the  petty  kings  of  that  island.  Following  the  enemy 
thither,  however,  Hophra's  ships  won  a  great  victory 
over  the  combined  fleets,  and  then  sailing  back  to  the 
Phenician  coast,  took  the  city  of  Sidou  by  storm,  and 
gave  it  up  to  plunder.  On  this,  the  other  coast  towns 
hastened  to  submit  to  Hophra,  and  recognised  him 
as  their  over-lord;  a  dignity  he  retained  for  three  years. 
In  striking  corroboration  of  this,  remains  of  Egyptian 
structures,  bearing  the  Pharaoh's  name  as  their  builder, 
are  still  found  at  the  coast  towns  of  Gebal,  the  ancient 
Byblos,  and  Arvad,  the  ancient  Arados. 

Elated  by  such  prosperity,  Hophra  fancied  himself 
"the  happiest  king  that  ever  lived,''  and  insanely 
vaunted  that  even  "  the  gods  could  not  overthrow  him." 
But  the  dissipation  of  his  dreams  was  terrible  !  Hearing 
of  his  successes,  the  Lybian  shore  tribes,  harassed  by 
Greek  colonists  on  their  soil,  appealed  to  him  as  their 
natural  protector,  and  in  his  vanity  he  undertook 
their  deliverance.  As  he  could  not,  however,  trust  his 
Greek  mercenaries  against  their  own  countrymen,  he  sent 
native  soldiers  on  the  expedition,  which  proved  an  utter 
failure.  The  Egyptians  were  so  disastrously  defeated, 
that  very  few  of  them  returned  to  Egypt.  Mourning 
filled  the  land,  and  indignation  against  Hophra  became 
loud  and  threatening.  The  priests  and  native  soldiery^ 
who,  alike,  hated  him  for  his  partiality  to  Greek  mercen- 


206  THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT. 

aries,  wliispered  tliat  "he  had  sent  the  Egyptian  army 
to  Lybia  to  get  rid  of  it/'  The  sight  of  the  straggling 
and  wretched  survivors  at  last  roused  a  wide  and  fierce 
revolt,  which  he  sought  to  quell  by  ordering  his  chief 
general  Ahmes  against  the  rebels.  The  troops,  however, 
no  sooner  saw  him,  than  they  elected  him  king,  and  forced 
him  to  march  against  the  Pharaoh.  Opposing  him  at 
the  head  of  thirty  thousand  mercenaries,  Hophra  might 
reasonably  have  expected  victory ;  but  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  foe  was  irresistible,  and  the  royal  army  was  routed, 
the  king  himself  being  taken  prisoner,  and  shut  up  in 
his  palace  at  Sais,  by  the  conqueror.  This,  however, 
would  not  satisfy  the  populace.  Clamouring  to  have  the 
unfortunate  monarch  given  up  to  them,  they  at  last 
gained  their  point,  and  at  once  strangled  him. 

The  account  given  by  Josephus  is  different.  Accord- 
ing to  his  authorities,  Nebuchadnezzar  invaded  Egypt, 
and  having  dethroned  Hophra,  set  up  Ahmes  in  his  place, 
and  this  is  substantially  corroborated  by  various  Egyptian 
and  Babylonian  inscriptions.  The  governor  of  a  province 
of  Southern  Egypt,  in  those  years,  living  at  Elephantina 
almost  as  a  petty  king,  had  erected,  among  other  memo- 
rials of  himself,  a  statue,  recently  discovered,^  on  which 
is  the  following  inscription.^ 

"His  Majesty  (Hophra)  invested  me  with  a  very  high 
dignity,  that  of  his  eldest  son,  making  me  governor  of 
the  regions  of  the  south,  to  drive  back  invaders.'^  The 
magnificent  gifts  this  fortunate  personage  had  made  to 
the  gods  and  the  priests  of  his  province,  and  the  temples 
he  had  built,  are  then  recounted,  and  he  proceeds,  "  I 
set  up  my  statue  that  my  name  might  endure  for  ever, 
by  its  means,   for  I  protected  the  temple  of  the  gods 

^  Now  in  the  Louvre. 

2  I  have  somewhat  condensed  the  language. 


THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT.  207 

when  it  sufifered  from  the  foreign  soldiery  of  tlie  Amu,^ 
the  people  of  the  north  and  those  of  Asia — the  wretches 
who  had  evil  in  their  heart,  for  they  purposed  to  over- 
run and  ravage  Upper  Egypt.  They  carried  out  the 
plans  their  hearts  had  conceived.^' ^  He  adds,  that  he 
kept  the  invaders  from  getting  beyond  the  first  cataract, 
and  drove  them  back  on  Hophra^s  army,  by  which,  he 
affirms,  they  were  defeated,  though  this  was  doubtless 
a  diplomatic  flattery  to  Egyptian  feeling.  The  facts 
seem  to  be,  that  the  native  soldiery  actually  revolted, 
and  that  Nebuchadnezzar  was  thus  enabled  to  overthrow 
Hophra  more  easily.  Yet  his  army,  as  we  see  from  this 
inscription,  marched  as  far  south  as  the  first  cataract, 
thus  literally  fulfilling  the  prediction  of  Ezekiel,^  that 
he  would  waste  the  land  in  its  whole  length  from  Migdol 
to  Syene.  But  the  Great  King  not  wishing  to  make 
Egypt  a  mere  Babylonian  province,  sanctioned  the  suc- 
cession of  Ahmes  to  the  throne,  under  the  name  of 
Amasis,  after  the  death  of  Hophra,*  contenting  himself 
with  making  him  tributary. 

The  new  Pharaoh  was  not  satisfied,  however,  with  his 
position,  and  speedily  strove  to  make  himself  indepen- 
dent. Taking  advantage  of  the  fine  navy  left  by  Hophra, 
he  sailed  against  Cyprus,  and  conquered  it;  an  act  re- 
sented by  Nebuchadnezzar  as  rebellion  and  a  declaration 
of  war.  The  Babylonian  army  was  once  more,  therefore, 
directed  against  Egypt,  and  invaded  it  in  B.C.  568,  the 
thirty-seventh  year  of  the  Great  King — three  years  after 
the  former  campaign  on  the  Nile.  The  contest  that 
followed  was  bitter  in  the  extreme,  most  of  the  Delta 
being  laid  waste,  with  all  its  cities.      At  last,  however, 

^  Any  yellow-skinned  or  Semitic  people. 

2  Vigouroux,  vol.  iv.  p.  374.     Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  vi.  p.  81. 

»  Ezek.  XXX.  6.  *  Jer.  xliv.  30. 


208 


THE    JEWISH    COLONIES    IN    EGYPT. 


Amasis  was  conquered,  and  though  left  on  the  throne, 
was  again  forced  to  become  a  tributary  of  Babylon.  A 
clay  tablet  in  the  British  Museum  fortunately  preserves  a 
notice  of  this  second  Egyptian  campaign  ;  a  fact  specially 
interesting,  since  it  is  the  only  inscription  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, referring  to  his  wars,  which  has  come  down  to  us. 
It  runs  thus  :  "  In  the  thirty-seventh  year  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, king  of  the  country  of  Babylon,  he  went  to  Egypt 
(Misr),  to  make  war.  Amasis,  king  of  Egypt,  collected 
(his  army)  and  his  soldiers  marched  and  spread  abroad." 
Then  follow  fragmentary  lines,  describing,  apparently, 
his  forces  of  horse,  chariots,  and  infantry,  but  the  tablet 
is,  unfortunately,  so  imperfect  that  the  issue  of  the  cam- 
paign is  lost.^  Mutilated  as  it  is,  however,  the  notice  is 
of  extreme  interest,  since  it  shows  the  minute  accuracy 
of  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  which  have 
been  treated  by  the  new  critics  as  unhistorical,  it  being 
assumed  that  Nebuchadnezzar  never  invaded  Egypt. 

*  Trans.  Soc.  Bib.  Arch.,  vol.  vii.  pp.  210-225.     Vigouroux,  vol.  iv. 
p.  376. 


The  God  Amon,  "  Thk  Hidden  or  Invisible  One;" 
called  also  Na  or  Num,  after  whom  Thebes  is  called  "  No  Amon"  by  the  prophet. 


CHAPTER    XI 


ON    THE    CHEBAR. 


THE  prophet  Jeremiali  vanishes  from  the  sacred  re- 
cord after  his  last  vain  appeal  to  his  countrymen, 
at  their  great  idol  feast,  to  abandon  idolatry.  When 
that  address  was  delivered,  or  where,  is  not  related; 
though  the  fact  that  the  Jews  had  spread  over  both  Lower 
and  Upper  Egypt,  ^  implies  that  the  festival  must  have 
taken  place  years  after  the  prophet's  unwilling  settle- 
ment on  the  Nile,  about  u.c.  587.  At  that  time  he  seems 
to  have  been  already  over  sixty  years  of  age,  ^  so  that 
at  the  second  campaign  of  Nebuchadnezzar  in  Egypt, 
in  B.C.  568,^  if  he  lived  to  see  it,  he  would  be  nearly 
eighty.  Whether  he  survived  till  then  is  not  known, 
though  his  last  words  of  remonstrance  to  the  people  he 
had  so  long  faithfully  taught,  may  date  at  least  from 
B.C.  573,  the  year  before  the  first  Chaldean  invasion  of 
the  Nile  Valley.  If,  however,  the  closing  verses  of  the 
52nd  chapter*  were  written  by  the  prophet  himself,  he 

*  Jer.  xliv.  1. 

^  Supposing  him  to  have  been  about  twenty  on  his  call  to  the 
prophetic  office  in  B.C.  625. 

'  Eiietschi.  The  date  is  uncertain  as  to  the  exact  year.  It  may 
have  been  a  year  or  two  earlier. 

*  Jer.  lii.  31-34. 

VOL.   VI.  2°^  P 


210  ON   THE    CHEBAR. 

lived  till  tlie  reigu  of  Evil-Merodacli,  son  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, which  began  about  B.C.  562  or  B.C.  561.^  In  this 
case  he  must  have  been  more  than  ninety  at  his  death. 
But  it  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  these  verses  have 
not  been  added  by  a  later  hand.  How  or  when  he  died 
is,  in  fact,  quite  uncertain.  He  may  have  been  stoned 
to  death  by  his  countrymen  at  Tahpanhes,  as  Christian 
tradition  affirms,  or  he  may  have  gone  to  Babylon  with 
the  retiring  army  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  as  the  Rabbis 
allege.  Josephus  and  the  Scriptures  are  alike  silent  as 
to  his  later  history  or  death ;  but  the  former  tells  us,  that 
the  remnant  of  the  Jews  who  had  fled  to  Egypt  were 
carried  off  to  Babylon  by  the  Chaldeans.^  It  is  quite 
possible  that  the  silence  as  to  his  last  days  is  a  veil 
drawn  over  them  by  the  Jews,  to  conceal  the  fact  of 
his  martyrdom;  for  we  must  not  forget  that  our  Lord 
accuses  the  nation  of  having  habitually  killed  the 
prophets,^  and  we  know  from  Jeremiah's  own  writings 
that  his  life  was  more  than  once  threatened. 

But  if  his  death,  like  that  of  so  many  in  all  ages  who 
have  rebuked  the  sins  of  their  generation,  was  that  of 
a  martyr,  legend  and  tradition  have  united  to  shed  an 
exceptional  glory  round  his  memory.  The  fulfilment  of 
his  prediction,  that  the  exiles  would  return  to  Judea  after 
seventy  years,  raised  him,  in  the  national  estimation,  to 
the  highest  rank  among  the  prophets.  Though  long 
dead,  it  seemed  as  if  a  spirit  so  tender  must  still  watch 
over  the  interests  of  the  people.  To  think  of  him  as 
their  guardian  or  patron  saint  naturally  followed.  It 
was  believed  that,  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
the  lost  tabernacle  and  ark,   and  the  treasures    of  the 

1  B.C.  562-560,  Birch.  B.C.  560-559,  Schrader.  B.C.  561-560, 
Volck. 

2  Jos.,  Ant,  X.  ix.  •  Matt,  xxiii.  39.  Luke  xi.  47. 


ON    THE    CHEBAR.  211 

Temple,  had  been  hidden  by  him,  in  one  of  the  caves  of 
Nebo,  till  the  day  when  the  nation  is  restored  to  honour  by 
the  Messiah.^  "  The  prophet/'  says  the  tradition  *'  being 
warned  of  God,  commanded  the  tabernacle  and  the  ark 
to  go  with  him,  as  he  went  forth  to  the  mountain  where 
Moses  climbed  up  and  saw  the  heritage  of  God.  And 
when  Jeremy  came  thither,  he  found  a  hollow  cave, 
wherein  he  laid  the  tabernacle,  and  the  ark,  and  the  altar 
of  incense,  and  so  stopped  the  door.  And  some  of  those 
that  followed  him  came  to  mark  the  way,  but  they  could 
not  find  it.  Which,  when  Jeremy  perceived,  he  blamed 
them,  saying,  As  for  this  place,  it  shall  be  unknown 
until  the  time  that  God  gather  His  people  again  together, 
and  receive  them  into  mercy.''  The  glory  of  Judas 
Maccabeous  was  heightened  by  a  legend  that  the  prophet 
appeared  to  him  in  a  vision,  as  "  a  man  with  grey  hairs 
and  exceeding  glorious,  of  a  wonderful  and  excellent 
majesty,"  and  gave  him  a  golden  sword  sent  down  from 
God,  to  fight  the  battles  of  the  Lord.^  He  was  believed 
to  continue  in  heaven  the  constant  intercession  for  his 
race  and  for  the  holy  city,  which  was  believed  to  have 
marked  him,  as  "a  lover  of  the  brethren,"  while  on 
earth.^  Apocryphal  writings  were  issued  in  his  name,  to 
secure  them  popularity.*  Nor  would  the  nation  believe 
that  even  his  earthly  relations  to  them  were  over; 
for  so  late  as  the  days  of  our  Lord,  his  return  was 
confidently  expected,  to  herald  the  advent  of  the 
Messiah.^  To  use  the  noble  figure  of  Milton,  the  clouds 
that  had  accompanied  and  obscured  his  course  in  life, 
were  transfigured  to  heavenly  splendours  after  he  had 
departed. 

*  2  Mace.  ii.  1-8.        ^2  Mace.  xv.  13, 15.       »  2  Mace.  xv.  14. 

*  See  Baruch  vi.     Eieron.f  on  Matt,  xxvii.  9.     Grotius,  on  Eph. 
V.  1-i.  »  Matt.  xvi.  14. 


212  ON   THE   CHEBAR. 

The  glimpses  of  Jewisli  life  on  tlie  banks  of  the  Chebar, 
after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  are  not  less  interesting  than 
those  we  obtain  of  the  remnant  which  fled  to  Egypb.^  In 
the  month  Tebet,  corresponding  roughly  to  our  January, 
in  the  eleventh^  year  of  the  Captivity  and  of  ZedekiaVs 
reign,  the  news  reached  Ezekiel,  in  Babylonia,  that  the 
Temple  had  been  carried  by  assault  and  burned,  along 
with  the  city,  on  the  10th  of  the  fifth  moon^ — the  month 
Ab — nearly  our  August — five  months  before;  so  long 
had  it  taken  for  the  news  to  reach  the  Euphrates. 
Like  all  true  prophets  and  preachers  in  every  age,  he 
was  intensely  unpopular.  His  predictions  of  the  fall  of 
Jerusalem,  the  continuance  of  the  Exile,  and  the  ruin 
of  the  Jewish  State,  had  been  so  bitterly  resented,  that 
for  a  number  of  years  he  had  been  refused  a  public 
hearing,  and  had  been  forced  to  remain  silent,  except 
to  visitors  in  his  own  house.  For  many  months  back, 
however,  he  had  felt  that  the  approaching  fulfilment  of 
his  gloomy  forebodings,  through  the  victory  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar in  Palestine,  would  at  last  silence  all  oppo-- 
sition  to  him  as  a  prophet  speaking  for  God,  and  once 
more  open  the  little  world  of  the  Exile  to  his  words. 
None  could  any  longer  refuse  to  hear  a  seer  whose 
utterances  had  been  so  wonderfully  accomplished.  His 
victory  must  come  very  soon,  and  his  standing  as  a 
true  spokesman  for  Jehovah  be  indisputably  established.'* 
At  last,  a  fugitive  from  the  storming  of  the  Holy  City 
reached  the  settlements  on  the  Chebar,  and  brought  to 

»  Ezek.  xxxiii.  21. 

2  The  Heb.  has  "the  twelfth  year,"  but  as  this  would  imply 
that  it  took  eighteen  months  for  the  news  to  reach  Babylon,  it 
seems  certain  that  some  copyist  has  introduced  an  error  into 
the  text. 

3  Compare  Jer.  xxxix.  2;  lii.  12.  •*  Ezek.  iii.  26. 


ON   THE    CHEBAR.  213 

the  prophet's  house  the  first  authentic  news  of  the  awful 
disaster.  The  spell  of  enforced  silence  was  at  once 
dissolved.  The  truth  of  his  predictions  was  only  too 
evident.  His  opponents  dared  no  longer  hinder  him 
from  the  free  exercise  of  his  oflSce. 

A  lingering  hope  was  still  cherished,  however,  among 
those  around  him,  that  the  survivors  of  the  cata- 
strophe in  Palestine  might,  after  all,  be  able  to  maintain 
themselves  as  a  feeble  community,  and  thus  form  a  centre 
to  which  the  exiles  might  ere  long  rally,  through  some 
political  revolution  in  Babylon.  But  Ezekiel  hastened 
to  dissipate  all  such  dreams.  The  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem, he  told  them,  would  be  followed  by  the  utter  ruin 
of  the  State  and  the  complete  desolation  of  the  land. 
The  results  of  the  murder  of  Gedaliah  by  Ishmael  soon 
vindicated  this  prediction.  A  second  deportation  to 
Babylon  followed,  and  it  even  seems  probable  that  the 
troubles  excited  by  Gedaliah^s  death  continued  to  show 
themselves  in  subsequent  popular  risings.  Jeremiah 
speaks  of  a  third  deportation,  five  years  after  the  fall  of 
the  capital.^  Some  of  the  bands  of  fighting  men  which 
had  escaped  the  Chaldeans  not  improbably  stood  aloof 
from  them  permanently,  keeping  the  country  disturbed 
by  harassing  forays.  But,  like  true  Jews,  even  their 
robber  life  was  dignified  by  a  religious  colouring.  Few 
though  they  were,  they  fancied  there  was  no  reason  to 
despair,  since  the  land  had  been  given  to  Abraham, 
when  he  was  alone  in  the  midst  of  the  whole  population ; 
a  much  more  hopeless  position  than  theirs.  Ezekiel, 
however,  predicted  a  terrible  end  to  these  visionaries. 
Such  a  horde,  wanting  all  true  godliness,  could  neither 
preserve  the  land  by  their  own  efibrts,  nor  expect  to  be 
maintained  in  it  by  Jehovah. 

'  Jer.  Hi.  30. 


214  ON   THE    CHEBAB. 

24  Son  of  Man*  (said  the  Divine  Voice  to  the  prophet,  apparently 
soon  after  the  news  of  the  great  catastrophe  reached  him) — those 
veho  still  live  amidst  the  ruins  of  the  land  of  Israel  say:  "Abra- 
ham was  only  one  man  and  yec  he  inherited  the  land.  Bat  we 
are  many,  and  the  land  is  given  ns  for  an  inheritance." 

25  Say  to  them,  therefore,  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  Ye 
eat  with  the  blood,  and  lift  up  your  eyes  to  the  idols,  and  shed 
blood;  and  can  you  hope  to  possess  the  land?  26  Ye  support 
yourselves  by  the  sword  and  by  violence  ^  (not  by  justice  and 
righteousness) ;  ye  work  deeds  of  darkness,  ye  defile  each  man 
his  neighbour's  wife,  and  shall  ye  possess  the  land?  27  Speak 
thus,  therefore,  to  them,  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah :  As  truly  as 
I  live,  those  who  live  in  the  ruined  towns  will  fall  by  the  sword, 
and  those  who  live  in  the  open  country  will  I  give  to  the  wild 
beasts  for  meat,  and  those  who  lurk  in  strongholds  and  caves  will 
die  of  the  pestilence  !  28  For  I  will  lay  the  land  utterly  desolate, 
and  the  pride  in  her  strength  will  cease,  and  the  mountains  ot^ 
Israel  will  be  so  desolate  that  no  one  will  pass  through  them. 
29  And  when  I  have  thus  laid  the  country  utterly  desolate,  for 
all  the  abominiitions  they  have  committed,  men  will  acknowledge 
that  I  am  Jehovah  ! 

If  the  prospects  of  tlie  wild  bands  still  wandering  over 
Judea  were  thus  dark,  the  apathy  and  ungodliness  of  the 
exiles  on  the  Chebar  gave  little  hope  of  religious  ear- 
nestness being  speedily  awakened  among  them.  Ezekiel 
could  now  speak  freely.  His  brethren,  awed  by  the 
fulfilment  of  the  prophecies  respecting  Jerusalem,  no 
longer  interrupted  or  opposed  him,  but  honoured  him 
with  a  hypocritical  respect,  and  affected  to  bow  to  his 
authority.  They  kept  talking  of  him,  says  the  sacred 
narrative,^  in  the  shadow  of  their  doors  and  houses,  and 
invited  each  other  to  go  to  him  and  hear  his  addresses. 
Coming  in  crowds,  they  sat  before  him  with  the  devout 
air  of  true  servants  of  Jehovah,  and  professed  themselves 

1  Ezek.  xxxiii.  24-29.         2  Li|-_^  «.  stand  upon  the  sword.*' 
3  Ezek.  xxxiii.  30-33. 


ON   THE    CHEBAE.  215 

delighted  witli  his  words,  while  they  still  secretly  clung 
to  their  old  sins.  But  the  prophet  saw  through  their 
insincerity.  His  discourses,  he  told  them,  simply  tickled 
their  ears,  like  a  love-song  well  rendered,  with  its 
pleasant  accompaniment  of  the  lute  or  guitar ;  they 
heard  him,  and  then  dismissed  all  thought  of  his  words. 
But  the  judgments  of  God,  he  assured  them,  were  not 
exhausted.  Such  obduracy  would  bring  fresh  visitations, 
and  under  the  infliction  of  these  they  would  at  last  be 
forced  to  own,  not  in  form  only,  but  sincerely,  that  they 
had  been  listening  to  a  true  prophet  of  Jehovah. 

Now  that  Jerusalem  had  fallen,  the  prophet's  addresses 
to  the  people  were  necessarily  changed  in  tone.  The  re- 
proaches of  former  days  would  have  been  out  of  place. 
To  rouse  the  nation  to  spiritual  life  was  wiser  and  better. 
Like  all  his  order,  Ezekiel  believed  that  the  kingdom 
of  God,  as  represented  by  his  race,  could  not  perish.  A 
Messianic  age  must  come.  Henceforward,  therefore,  he 
sought  to  cheer  and  revive  his  brethren  by  keeping  before 
them  this  great  hope,  even  in  the  midst  of  their  despair 
and  ruin.  But  national  restoration  could  be  attained 
only  by  a  deep  sense  of  the  guilt  of  the  past,  and  sincere 
reformation.  While,  therefore,  maintaining  the  certainty 
of  a  future  Messianic  age,  notwithstanding  all  the  con- 
fusion of  the  present,  he  did  not  keep  back  the  conditions 
on  which  alone  it  could  be  secured.  But  these  fulfilled, 
there  were  no  bounds  to  its  glory. 

Hence,  in  the  opening  chapter  of  this  new  phase  of  kis 
ministry,  ^  Ezekiel,  first  of  all,  reminded  his  fellow  exiles, 
so  long  indifferent  or  opposed  to  him,  of  the  true  office  of 
a  prophet,  on  their  sincere  realization  of  which  the  hope 
of  sincere  reformation  depended.  The  word  of  Jehovah 
came  to  him,  he  tells  us,  with  the  following  message. 
1  Ezek.  xxsiii. 


216  ON   THE    CHE  BAR. 

2  Son  of  Man !  ^  say  to  the  sons  of  tliy  people,  When  I  bring 
war  on  a  country,  and  the  people  choose  a  man  from  their  midst, 
and  set  him  on  the  watch  tower  to  look  out;  3  and  he  sees  the 
enemy  2  coming,  and  blows  his  trumpet  and  warns  the  people; 

4  if  any  one  hear  his  war  horn  and  neglect  the  warning,  so  that 
the  sword  comes  and  cuts  him  off,  his  blood  is  on  his  own  head. 

5  He  heard  the  horn,  and  took  no  heed,  his  blood  is  on  himself. 
Had  he  taken  warning  he  would  have  been  saved. 

6  But  if  the  watcher  see  the  foe  coming,  and  do  not  blow  the 
trumpet,  and  the  people  are  not  warned,  so  that  the  sword  comes 
and  cuts  off  one  of  them,  the  victim  dies  by  his  own  fault,  for  he 
should  have  been  on  his  guard,  but  I  will  demand  his  blood  at  the 
hand  of  the  watcher ! 

7  I  have  set  thee,  son  of  man,  as  watcher  for  the  House  of 
Israel,  that  when  thou  hearest  ought  from  My  mouth,  thou  mayest 
warn  them  of  it  in  My  name.  8  If  I  say  to  the  wicked,  "Wicked 
one,  thou  must  surely  die,"  and  thou  warnest  him  not^  from  his 
evil  way,  that  wicked  man  will  certainly  die  for  his  sin,  but  I  will 
require  his  blood  at  thy  hand.  If,  however,  thou  hast  warned 
the  wicked  man  of  his  peril,  and  he  does  not  turn,  he  shall  die  for 
his  sin,  but  thou  hast  saved  thy  soul. 

The  true  propbet  is  thus  required  to  v^arn  the  sinner  of 
the  impending  judgments  of  God,  as  the  look-out  man 
on  the  watch-tower  is  required  to  give  timely  and  loud 
notice  of  the  approach  of  the  foe.  Safety,  therefore, 
demanded  that  the  prophet  have  free  speech.  But  that 
God  should  have  given  them  a  true  seer  in  their  midst, 
was  a  sure  proof  of  His  favour,  which  might  well  keep 
off  despair.  For  Jehovah  would  fain  save  the  wicked, 
and  threatens  wrath  through  His  prophet  only  that  every 
one  may  take  heed  and  reform.  There  is  still  time  for 
this  as  long  as  His  final  judgment  has  not  fallen. 

10  Speak  thus,  therefore,  0  son  of  man,  to  the  House  of 
Israel :  Ye  have  said  rightly,"*  (The  punishment  of)  our  trans- 

1  Ezek.  xxxiii.  2-11.      2  l^^^^  «  sword."      ^  lj^.,  "  the  wicked." 
4  The  word  translated  thus  means  also  "  rightly,"  "truly." 


ON  THE    CHEBAR.  217 

gressions  and  sins  presses  us  down,  and  we  decay  to  nothing 
through  them;  ^  how  then  can  we  hope  to  live  again  as  a  nation? 
II  Tell  them,  As  surely  as  I  live,  says  the  Lord,  Jehovah,  I  have 
no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked;  My  delight  is  that  he 
should  turn  from  his  way  and  live !  Tarn  ye,  turn  ye,  from  your 
evil  ways ;  for  why  will  ye  die,  0  House  of  Israel  ? 

Self-righteousness,  ever  disposed  to  justify  itself,  had 
adopted  among  the  exiles  a  comfortable  theory,  that  they 
were  punished  for  the  sins  of  their  forefathers  rather 
than  for  their  own.  Ezekiel  had  often  exposed  this  self- 
deception  in  the  past,^  but  he  again  shows  its  hollowness. 

12  Say  ^  therefore,  thou  son  of  man,  to  the  sons  of  thy  people. 
The  righteousness  of  the  righteous  will  not  save  him  in  the  day 
of  his  transgression,  and  the  wicked  will  not  fall  ■*  through  his 
wickedness,  in  the  day  when  he  turns  from  it.  Nor  will  the 
righteous  preserve  his  life  by  having  been  so,  in  the  day  that  he 
sins.  13  Though  I  say  to  the  righteous,  "  he  shall  surely  live,'* 
yet  if  he  trust  to  his  righteousness,  and  commit  iniquity,  all  his 
righteous  deeds  shall  not  be  remembered,  but  he  shall  die  for  the 
sin  that  he  has  done.  14  And  in  the  same  way,  though  I  say  to 
the  wicked,  "  Thou  shalt  surely  die,"  yet  if  he  turn  from  his  sin 
and  do  what  is  just  and  right ;  15  if  he  give  back  the  pledge 
(unrighteously  detained),  restore  what  he  has  robbed,  and  walk 
in  the  statutes  of  life,  doing  no  evil,  he  shall  surely  live,  he  shall 
not  die.  16  All  his  sins  that  he  has  done  will  be  no  more 
remembered;  he  now  does  what  is  just  and  right;  he  shall  surely 
live.  17  Yet  the  sons  of  thy  people  say,  "The  way  of  the  Lord 
is  not  just."     But  it  is  their  way  that  is  not  just ! 

18  When  the  righteous  turns  from  his  righteousness  and  does 
evil,  he  will  die  for  it.  19  But  if  the  wicked  turn  from  his  wicked- 
ness, and  does  what  is  just  and  right,  he  shall  live  for  it.  20  Yet 
ye  say,  "The  way  of  the  Lord  is  not  just."  O  ye  House  of  Israel, 
I  will  judge  you,  every  one  after  his  own  ways. 

*  The  figure  is  that  of  a  decaying  corpse. 

2  Ezek.  iii.  20  ;  xviii.  2i,  26,  27. 

3  Ezek.  xxxiii.  12-20.  <  Lit.,  "  stumble." 


218  ON   THE    CHEBAE. 

Such  was  the  address  with  which  Ezekiel  re-opened  his 
long-suspended  public  ministry.  Eesponsible  to  God,  as 
a  divinely  ordained  preacher  of  righteousness,  it  was  his 
imperative  duty  to  tell  his  people  their  sins  ;  to  shrink 
from  doing  so  was  to  imperil  his  own  soul.  On  their 
part,  it  was  no  less  imperative  that  they  should  repent, 
and  honour  the  law  of  God  in  their  hearts  and  lives. 
Thus  alone  could  they  bring  about  the  glorious  days 
of  the  Messiah  for  which  they  longed.  In  his  next 
discourse,  he  passed  from  the  sins  of  the  people  to  those 
of  their  rulers  and  wealthy  or  powerful  citizens.  Their 
*'  shepherds  ^'  had  hitherto  sought  only  their  own  advan- 
tage, not  that  of  their  flock :  injustice  and  violence  had 
prevailed  instead  of  right  and  truth,  and  the  people 
had  been  plundered  and  oppressed,  till  at  last,  in  great 
part  through  the  fault  of  their  "  shepherds,*'  utter  ruin 
had  overtaken  the  commonwealth. 

The  word  of  Jehovah  came  to  him,  he  tells  us,  as 
follows  : — 

2  Son  of  man,*  prophesy  against  the  shepherds  ^  of  Israel, 
prophesy  and  say  to  thorn.  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  to  the 
shepherds  :  Woe  to  the  shepherds  of  Israel  that  fed  (only)  them- 
selves !  Should  shepherds  not  rather  feed  the  flocks  ?  3  Ye 
ate  the  fat^  and  clothed  yourselves  wibh  the  wool;  ye  killed  the 
fatted  sheep;  ye  fed  not  the  flock!  4  Ye  did  not  strengthen  the 
weak,  or  heal  the  sick,  or  bind  up  the  injured,  or  lead  back  the 
strayed,  or  seek  the  lost,  but  ruled  lawlessly  and  with  cruelty ; 
5  so  that  the  flock  was  scattered  for  want  of  true  shepherds,  and 
became  meat  to  all  the  beasts  of  the  field,  and  was  dispersed 
everywhere.  6  My  sheep  wandered  over  all  the  mountains  and 
over  every  high  hill,  and  were  scattered  over  the  whole  earth, 
and  no  one  asked  after  them  or  sought  for  them. 


xxxiv.  1-31.  2  Kings. 

'  Milk,  butter,  etc. — 8mend. 


ON   THE    CHEBAR.  219 

But  Jehovali  will  deliver  His  flock  from  sucli  false 
shepherds.  The  state  of  things  that  had  prevailed 
before  the  fall  of  the  nation  would  not  obtain  after  its 
restoration  in  the  Messianic  a<re. 

7  Therefore,  ye  shepherds,  hear  the  word  of  Jehovah  :  As  I  live, 
says  the  Lord  Jehovah,  because  My  flock  was  made  a  prey,  and 
My  sheep  became  food  to  every  beasr^  of  the  field  through  bein^ 
left  shepherdless,  and  because  My  shepherds  did  not  search  foi* 
them,  but  fed  themselves  and  not  My  flock  :  9  therefore  hear  t\\n 
word  of  Jehovah,  ye  shepherds  :  10  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  ; 
Behold  I  am  coming  to  the  shepherds,  and  I  will  require  My 
flock  at  their  hand,  and  will  order  it  that  they  no  longer  feed  the 
flock,  nor  even  themselves,  and  I  will  rescue  My  sheep  from  their 
jaws,  so  that  they  shall  no  more  be  food  for  them. 

Jehovah  Himself  will  henceforth  take  the  matter  into 
His  own  bands.  While  He  inflicts  judgment  on  the 
heathen,  He  will  gather  together  His  scattered  flock, 
and  lead  them  back  to  their  own  land,  where  they  will 
have  the  richest  pasture  and  the  tenderest  care. 

II  For  thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  Behold,  I  Myself,  even  I, 
will  both  inquire  after  My  sheep  and  take  care  of  them.  12  As 
a  shepherd  takes  care  of  his  scattered  flock  when  he  is  in  the 
midst  of  them,  so  will  I  care  for  My  sheep,  and  deliver  them 
from  all  places  to  which  they  have  been  scattered  in  the  day  of 
clouds  and  darkness.  13  And  I  will  lead  them  out  from  among 
the  peoples,  and  gather  them  from  the  lands,  and  bring  them 
to  their  own  country,  and  feed  them  on  the  mountains  of  Israel, 
in  the  valleys,  and  in  all  the  inhabited  parts  of  the  land.  14  I 
will  feed  them  on  good  pasture,  and  their  fold  will  be  on  the  high 
mountains  of  Israel.  They  shall  lie  down  there  in  a  safe  fold,  and 
will  have  fan  pasture  on  the  hills  of  Israel.  15  I  will  feed  My 
flock,  and  cause  them  to  lie  down,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah.  16  I 
will  seek  for  the  lost,  and  bring  back  what  has  been  frightened 
away,  and  bind  up  what  has  been  hurt,  and  make  strong  what  is 
sick.  But  I  will  destroy  the  fat  and  lusty,  and  feed  them  with 
the  punishment  which  is  their  due  ! 


220  ON   THE    CnEBAR. 

As  tlie  kings  acted  towards  the  whole  people,  so  did 
the  stronger  in  the  community  to  the  weak.  The  flock 
had  not  only  worthless  shepherds;  there  were  among 
them  hateful  rams  and  he-goats  which  kept  the  weaker 
sheep  from  the  pasture.  These  Jehovah  will  visit,  dealing 
with  all  as  is  right,  and  He  will  finally  unite  the  whole 
flock  under  one  shepherd. 

17  As  for  yon,  0  My  sheep,  thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah: 
Behold  I  will  judge  between  one  sheep  and  another;  that  is 
between  the  rams  and  he-goats  (and  the  rest  of  the  flock).  18  Is 
it  not  enough  that  you  have  eaten  down  the  good  pastures,  (ye 
rams  and  he-goats) ;  must  ye  also  tread  down  with  your  feet 
what  remains  ?  Is  it  not  enough  that  you  have  drunk  up  the 
settled  and  clear  water ;  must  jou  also  foul  what  remains  with 
your  hoofs  ? 

20  Therefore  thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  to  them,  Behold  I, 
even  I,  will  judge  between  the  fat  and  lean  sheep.  21  Because 
ye  have  thrust  with  side  and  shoulder,  and  pushed  aside  all  the 
weaklings  with  your  horns,  till  you  have  scattered  them,  22  there- 
fore I  will  help  My  sheep,  so  that  they  may  no  longer  be  a  prey, 
and  I  will  judge  between  sheep  and  sheep.  23  And  I  will 
set  up  a  single  shepherd  over  them,  who  will  (really)  feed  them, 
My  servant  David;  he  will  feed  them,  and  be  their  shepherd. 
24  And  I,  Jehovah,  will  be  their  God,  and  My  servant  David  will 
be  a  prince  in  their  midst ;  I,  Jehovah,  have  spoken  it ! 

Under  this  Messianic  prince,  Israel  will  dwell  in  peace 
and  security. 

25  And  I  will  make  a  covenant  of  peace  with  them,  and  destroy 
evil  beasts  out  of  the  land,  and  My  flock  will  dwell  safely  in  the 
pasture-country,  and  sleep  in  the  woods.'  26  And  I  will  bless 
them  and  the  circuit  of  my  hill,^  and  send  rain  in  its  season  ; 
there  will  be  showers  of  blessing.^     27  The  tree  of  the  field  will 

^  Heb.  yaar.  ^  The  land  of  Canaan. 

'  The  word  used  is  that  employed  for  the  copious  showers  of 
November  and  December.     Herzog,  vol.  xi.  p.  26. 


ON  THE   CHEBAE.  221 

yield  its  fruit,  and  the  earth  its  increase,  and  they  will  live 
securely  in  their  own  land,  and  know  that  I  am  Jehovah,  when 
I  have  broken  the  bows  of  their  yoke,  and  delivered  them  from 
the  hand  of  those  who  held  them  as  slaves.  28  They  will  no 
longer  be  a  prey  to  the  heathen  nations,  nor  shall  the  beast  of 
the  field  devour  them,  but  they  will  dwell  safely,  none  making 
them  afraid.  29  And  I  will  give  their  soil  rich  fertility,^  and 
they  will  no  more  be  destroyed  by  hunger  in  the  land,  or  bear 
any  longer  the  reproach  of  the  heathen.  30  And  they  will  know 
that  I,  Jehovah,  their  God,  am  with  them,  and  that  they  are  My 
people,  the  House  of  Israel,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah.  31  But  be 
ye  men,  0  My  flock,  the  sheep  of  My  pasture;  I  am  your  God, 
says  the  Lord  Jehovah ! 

Obedience  to  the  teaching  of  the  prophets,  and  sincere 
loyalty  to  Jehovah,  would  thus  bring  about  spiritual  and 
temporal  regeneration.  Still  more;  to  secure  the  glory 
of  the  restored  Israel,  its  enemies  would  be  destroyed. 
Edom  is  selected  as  the  representative  of  the  heathen  by 
whom  Judah  had  been  seduced  from  its  faith,  and  at  last 
brought  to  ruin.  Bitterly  hostile  to  the  Jews  for  ages, 
we  have  seen  how  it  gloried  in  the  triumph  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar. Since  that  time,  moreover,  it  had  seized  a 
large  part  of  the  territory  of  Judah,  which  it  now  held.^ 
It  would  at  last  be  shown,  however,  that  Jehovah  was  with 
His  people  !  Their  prosperity  would  be  secured,  not  only 
by  a  blessing  on  the  land 'itself,  but  also  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  their  foes. 

1  The  word  of  Jehovah  came  to  me,  saying,^  2  Son  of  man, 
turn  thy  face  towards  Mount  Seir,  and  prophesy  against  it.   3  Thus 

*  Lit.,  "  I  will  make  to  rise  up  for  them  a  plantation  of  name," 
that  is,  the  soil  which  is  planted  will  be  famous  for  its  yield, 
through  the  "  showers  of  blessing,"  verse  26.  The  mountains  of 
Israel  had  long  lain  desolate,  chap,  xxxiii.  28. 

2  Ezek.  vii.  24  Jer.  xlix.  1.  Lam.  iv.  2L  Ewald's  Geschichte, 
vol.  iv.  p.  105.  '  Ezek.  xxxv. 


222  ON  THE    CHEBAE. 

says  the  Lord  Jehovah. :  Behold,  I  am  coming  to  thee,  O  Mount 
Seir,  and  will  stretch  out  My  hand  against  thee,  and  make  thee 
waste  and  desolate.  4  I  will  lay  thy  towns  in  ruins,  and  thou 
shalt  be  a  desert,  and  shalt  know  that  I  am  Jehovah.  5  Because 
thou  hast  cherished  undying  hatred  (against  Israel),  and  gavest 
up  its  sons  to  the  sword  in  the  time  of  their  trouble,  the  time 
when  iniquity  triumphed :  *  6  therefore,  as  I  live,  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  I  will  turn  thee  into  blood,  and  blood  will  pursue  thee  - 
Thou  hast  not  hated  blood-shedding,  and  thirst  for  blood  will 
pursue  thee !  7  I  will  make  Mount  Seir  waste  and  desolate,  and 
cut  off  from  it  every  one  who  either  enters  or  leaves  it,  8  and  I 
will  fill  its  mountains  with  its  slain.  On  thy  hills  and  in  all  thy 
ravines  and  torrent  beds  the  slain  by  the  sword  shall  fall.  9  I 
will  make  thee  perpetual  deserts,  and  thy  towns  will  not  be  in- 
habited, that  ye  may  know  I  am  Jehovah.  10  Because  thou  hast 
said,  "  Both  peoples  (Israel  and  Judah)  and  both  (their)  territories 
shall  be  mine,  and  we  shall  take  them  in  possession," — though 
Jehovah  dwelt  there — 11  therefore,  as  I  live,  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  I  will  do  to  thee  as  thy  rage  and  jealousy  shown  against 
My  people,  in  thy  hatred  of  them,  deserves.  I  will  make  Myself 
known  among  thy  sons,  when  I  shall  judge  thee.  12  And  thou 
shalt  know  that  I,  Jehovah,  have  heard  all  the  words  of  scorn 
thou  hast  spoken  against  the  mountains  of  Israel,  saying  :  "  They 
are  laid  waste !  They  are  given  to  us  to  possess  !  "  ^  13  You  have 
talked  loftily  with  your  mouth  against  Me,  and  have  heaped  up 
your  words  against  Me:  I  have  heard  it!  14  Thus  says  the 
Lord  Jehovah  :  When  the  whole  earth  rejoices,  I  will  make  thee 
a  desolation.  15  As  thou  wert  glad  over  the  inheritance  of  the 
House  of  Israel,  because  it  was  laid  waste,  so  will  I  do  to  thee. 
Thou  shalt  be  a  desert  throughout,  0  Mount  Seir,  and  all  Edom ; 
and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah. 

Such  would  be  the  fate  of  the  enemies  of  the  people 
of  God.  Turning  now  to  the  land  of  Israel,  the  prophet 
cheers  his  countrymen  by  the  promises  of  Jehovah,  that 

*  A. v.,  "In  the  time  of  (our)  sorest  punishment,"  Eivald; 
"Of  the  iniquity  of  the  end,"  Gheijne  and  ClarTce\  "When 
iniquity  brought  the  end,"  Eiclihorn. 

2  Lit.,  "  for  food." 


ON  THE    CHEBAR.  223 

it  would  see  the  cup  of  sorrow  its  children  had  drained, 
put  to  the  lips  of  all  their  heathen  foes. 

I  Further,*  son  of  man,  prophesy  to  the  mountains  of  Israel, 
saying :  Ye  mountains  of  Israel,  hear  the  word  of  Jehovah.  2  Thus 
says  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  Because  the  enemy  said  respecting  you, 
"  Ha!  the  ancient  hills  are  ours  now  :  "  3  therefore  prophesy  and 
say  :  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Because  they  laid  you  waste 
and  panted  after  you  on  every  side,  that  you  might  become  a 
possession  to  the  remnant  of  the  nations  (spared  from  the  Chal- 
deans), till  ye  rose  on  the  lips  of  every  idle  talker,  and  were  in 
evil  report  among  the  peoples:  4  therefore,  ye  mountains  of 
Israel,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  Jehovah.  Thus  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  to  the  mountains,  and  hills,  and  ravines,"  and  plains, and 
to  the  desolate  ruins  and  forsaken  towns,  which  served  for  a  prey 
and  a  scoff  to  the  remnant  of  the  heathen  round ;  5  Yerily,  in 
the  glow  of  My  anger  do  I  speak  against  the  remnant  of  the 
heathen,  and  against  all  Edom,  who  with  gladness  of  heart  and 
deadly  scorn  have  appropriated  My  land,  to  desolate  and  plunder 
it— 6  Prophesy,  therefore,  respecting  the  land  of  Israel,  and  say  to 
the  mountains,  and  hills,  and  ravines,  and  plains,  Thus  says  the 
Lord  Jehovah :  Behold,  I  have  spoken  in  My  wrath  and  indigna- 
tion, because  ye  have  borne  the  contempt  of  the  nations.  7  There- 
fore, thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  I  have  lifted  up  My  hand  (and 
sworn) ;  verily  the  nations  round  you  shall  bear  their  (share  of) 
contempt  (in  turn)! 

On  the  other  hand,  God  will  bless  His  own  land. 

8  But  ye,  0  mountains  of  Israel,  shall  shoot  out  your  verdure 
and  yield  your  fruits  to  My  people  Israel,  for  they  will  soon  come! 
9  For,  behold,  I  am  for  you,  and  will  turn  My  face  towards  you, 
and  ye  shall  be  ploughed  and  so*vd.  10  And  I  will  increase  men 
on  you— all  the  House  of  Israel— all  of  it,  and  the  towns  will  be 
inhabited  and  the  ruins  rebuilt.  11  And  I  will  increase  men  and 
cattle  on  you,  and  they  will  multiply  and  be  fruitful,  and  I  will 
make  you  be  inhabited  as  in  former  times,  and  show  you  more 
good  than  in  your  earlier  days,  that  ye  may  know  that  I  am 
Jehovah.     12  I  will  make  men — My  people  Israel— walk  on  you, 

1  Ezek.  xxxvi.  '  Lit,  "  torrents." 


224  ON  THE    CHEBAR. 

and  they  will  possess  you,  and  you  will  be  their  inheritance,  and 
you  will  no  more  be  lefD  without  inhabitants.*  13  Thus  says  the 
Lord  Jehovah,  Because  they  say  to  you,  "  Thou  land  of  Israel 
art  a  devourer  of  men,"  and  hast  made  thy  people  childless  ;  " 
14  therefore  thou  shalt  no  longer  devour  men,  nor  make  thy 
people  childless  any  more,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah.  15  Neither 
will  I  cause  thee  to  bear  any  longer  the  contempt  of  the  nations, 
nor  wilt  thou  be  any  more  the  scorn  of  the  peoples,  nor  cause  thy 
sous  ^  to  be  childless  any  more.* 

Tl\e  banishment  of  Israel  had  been  brought  about  by 
its  own  sins.  But  the  heathen  among  whom  they  were 
scattered  had  profaned  the  Divine  name  on  their  account, 
imputing  their  calamities  to  the  weakness  of  their 
national  god. 

17  Son  of  man,  when  Israel  dwelt  in  their  own  land,  they 
defiled  it  by  their  way  and  their  doings;  their  conduct  was 
vile  in  My  eyes,  as  the  foulest  uncleanness.  18  Therefore  I 
poured  out  My  wrath  on  them  for  the  blood  they  had  shed  in 
their  land,^  and  because  they  had  polluted  it  with  their  foul  gods. 
19  And  I  scattered  them  among  the  nations,  and  they  were  dis- 
persed through  the  lands  ;  I  judged  them  according  to  their  way 
and  their  doings.  20  But  when  they  came  to  the  heathen  peoples, 
they  made  My  holy  name  to  be  profaned,  for  men  said  of  them, 
*'  These  are  Jehovah's  people,  and  yet  are  driven  out  of  His 
land!"  21  But  now  I  must  vindicate*  My  holy  name,  thus 
brought  into  dishonour  among  the  heathen,  through  Israel. 

Their  deliverance  would  be  due  to  this  jealousy  of 
His  own  honour,  on  the  part  of  Jehovah,  not  to  any 
merit  in  His  people. 

22  Therefore  say  to  the  House  of  Israel,  Thus  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah :  I  do  this  not  for  your  sakes,  O  House  of  Israel,  but  for 
My  holy  name's  sake,  which  ye  have  caused  to  be  dishonoured 

1  Lit.,  "  orphaned."  ^  Feminine.  ^  Lit.,  "  nation." 

*  Correction  of  the  Hebrew  by  the  Masorites. 

*  In  violence  and  by  human  sacrifices. 


ON   THE    CHEBAR.  225 

among  the  heatlien,  among  whom  ye  are  come.  23  I  shall 
therefore  vindicate  the  holiness  of  My  great  name,  which  ye  have 
caused  to  be  dishonoured  among  the  heathen,  bringing  discredit 
on  it  among  them,  that  the  heathen  may  know  that  I  am 
Jehovah,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah,  when  I  shall  show  Myself  holy 
in  you  before  their  eyes.  24  For  I  will  take  you  out  from  among 
the  heathen,  and  gather  you  from  all  countries,  and  bring  you 
again  to  your  own  land. 

To  restore  former  relations  with  them,  however,  was 
impossible  while  they  were  still  estranged  in  heart.  Nor 
could  any  radical  change  be  expected  from  their  own 
initiative.  Their  conversion  must  come  from  God  Him- 
^  self.  He  will,  therefore,  of  His  free  grace,  make  them  in 
reality  His  children,  by  bringing  about  in  their  hearts  a 
true  spiritual  change.  He  will  cleanse  them  from  their 
sins  and  put  His  spirit  into  their  renewed  hearts. 

25  And  that  ye  may  be  cleansed  from  your  sins,  I  will  sprinkle 
clean  water  upon  you,  and  I  will  make  you  clean  from  all  your 
filthiness  and  from  all  your  foul  gods.  26  And  I  will  give  you  a 
new  heart  and  put  a  new  spirit  within  you  ;  I  will  take  away  the 
heart  of  stone  out  of  your  flesh  and  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh; 
27  and  I  will  put  My  spirit  within  you,  that  ye  may  walk  in  My 
statutes  and  keep  My  laws  and  do  them,  28  and  ye  shall  dwell  in 
the  land  which  I  gave  to  your  fathers,  and  ye  shall  be  My  people, 
and  I  will  be  your  God. 

They  will  henceforward  loathe  their  former  ways,  and 
God  will  bless  the  land  and  give  them  prosperity.  But 
all  this  is  a  free  gift,  bestowed  of  His  infinite  mercy  on 
the  undeserving. 

29  And  I  will  keep  you  from  again  falling  into  your  old  un- 
cleaiinesses,  and  will  call  forth  corn  (out  of  the  earth)  and  make 
it  yield  richly,  and  bring  no  famine  on  you.  30  And  I  will 
increase  the  fruit  of  the  tree,  and  the  yield  of  the  ground,  that 
the  reproach  of  hunger  may  no  more  be  cast  on  you  among 
the  heathen.  31  And  ye  will  think,  then,  of  your  evil  ways  and 
wrong  doings,  and  abhor  yourselves  for  your  iniquities  and 
abominations. 

VOL.   VI.  Q 


226  ON    THE    CHEBAR. 

32  But,  be  it  known  to  you,  that  it  is  not  for  yonr  sakes  I 
do  this,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  be  ashamed  and  blush  for  your 
ways,  O  House  of  Israel ! 

33  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  When  I  have  cleansed  you 
from  all  your  iniquities,  and  caused  you  to  dwell  in  the  towns  of 
your  land  ;  when  the  ruined  places  are  rebuilt,,  34  and  the  wastes 
tilled  again,  so  that  they  are  no  longer  desert  before  the  eyes  of 
all  that  pass  by ;  35  then  will  men  say,  "  The  land  which  was  once 
desolate  is  become  like  the  garden  of  Eden  ;  the  waste,  deserted, 
and  ruined  towns  are  walled  round  and  inhabited."  36  Then  the 
heathen  peoples  left  round  you  will  know  that  I,  Jehovah,  re- 
built what  was  ruined,  and  planted  again  what  was  laid  waste.  I, 
Jehovah,  have  said  and  will  do  it. 

37  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jeliovah  :  I  will  yet  be  sought  by  the 
House  of  Israel  to  do  this  for  them,  (and,  in  answer  to  their" 
prayers)  I  will  increase  them  with  men,  like  a  flock — like  the 
flock  for  the  holy  offerings,  the  flock  at  Jerusalem  in  the  time  of 
her  feasts;^  the  cities  now  deserted  will  be  filled  with  flocks  of 
men,  and  all  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah. 

Such  were  some  of  the  discourses  by  which  Ezekiel 
sought  to  rekindle  the  hopes  of  his  fellow- exiles,  and 
recall  them  to  a  higher  spiritual  life,  in  preparation  for 
their  future  return  to  Palestine.  The  deep  gloom  that  had 
settled  on  all,  however,  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  seemed 
beyond  removal.  The  nation  was,  apparently,  dead. 
Could  it  rise  again  ?  Not  only  was  national  life  gone ; 
there  remained  nothing  of  Israel  but  some  dry  bones 
from  which  the  flesh  was  wasted  and  gone.  Such 
thoughts  may  have  been  uttered  around  the  prophet. 
But  no  difficulty  shook  his  faith  in  what  Jehovah  had 
promised.  Yet  the  terrible  comparison  of  his  people  to 
the  dead  dwelt  in  his  thoughts,  till  in  the  end  it  rose 
before  him  in  a  brighter  aspect  as  the  central  glory  of  a 
prophetic  vision.  In  this  he  seemed  carried  away  by 
the  Sphib  of  Jehovah  to  the  plain  or  valley  near  Tel  Abib, 

*  2  Chron.  xxxv.  7.     Deut.  xvi.  16. 


ON  THE   CHEBAE.  227 

familiar  to  him  of  old  as  the  scene  of  the  vision  of  the 
Cherubim.  Now,  however,  to  his  horror,  he  found  it  full 
of  dry  withering  bones  ^ — the  wreck  of  a  vast  host  slain 
by  the  sword.  Wandering  over  the  wide  expanse,  the 
multitude  of  these  ghastly  relics  of  mortality  and  their 
bleached  dryness,  the  very  embodiment  of  death,  filled 
him  with  awe,  and,  while  thus  overpowered,  Jehovah 
seemed  to  address  him. 

3  "  Son  of  man,  will  these  bones  live  aorain  ?  "  Then  said  I, 
"  O  Lord  Jehovah,  Thou  knowest."  4  Then  said  He  to  me, 
"  Call  to  these  bones,  and  say  to  them,  '  Ye  diy  bones,  hear  the 
word  of  Jehovah.  5  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  to  these 
bones :  Behold,  I  will  cause  breath  to  enter  into  you.  and  ye  shall 
live.  6  And  I  will  create  sinews  on  you,  and  make  flesh  grow  on 
you,  and  cover  you  with  skin,  and  put  breath  in  you,  and  ye  shall 
live,  and  acknowledge  that  I  am  Jehovah.'  " 

7  So  I  prophesied  as  I  was  commanded ;  and  as  I  did  so,  there 
was  a  noise  and  a  commotion,  and  the  bones  came  together,  bone 
to  bone.  8  And  I  looked,  and,  behold,  sinews  came  on  them  and 
flesh  grew  upon  them,  and  skin  covered  them;  but  there  was  no 
spirit  in  them.  9  Then  said  he  to  me.  Call,  O  son  of  man,  call 
to  the  breath  of  life,  and  say  to  it,  Come  from  the  four  winds,  O 
breath  of  life,  and  breathe  into  these  slain,  that  they  may  live. 
10  So  I  called  as  He  commanded  me,  and  the  breath  of  life 
entered  them,  and  they  came  to  life,  and  stood  up  on  their  feet, 
a  very  great  army.  11  Then  said  He  to  me,  Son  of  man,  these 
bones  are  the  whole  House  of  Israel !  Behold,  (your  fellow-exiles) 
truly  say,  "  (We  are  not  only  dead,  but)  our  very  bones  are 
(scattered),  dry  (and  bleached)  :  we  have  lost  hope,  we  feel  our- 
selves utterly  gone  (as  a  nation)."  12  Therefore  prophesy  and 
say  to  them.  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  Behold,  I  will  open 
your  graves  and  cause  you  to  rise  out  of  them,  and  will  bring  you 
to  the  land  of  Israel.  13  And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah, 
when  I  open  (even)  your  graves,  (as  it  were),  and  lead  you  forth 
from  them,  0  My  people,  14  and  put  My  Spirit  in  you,  so  that 
you  may  live  again  and  settle  in  your  own  land.  Then  shall 
you  know  that  I,  Jehovah,  have  spoken,  and  performed,  says 
Jehovah. 

1  Ezek.  xxxvii. 


228 


ON    THE    CHEBAR. 


ON   THE    CHEBAR.  229 

This  cut  shows  the  Egyptian  ideas  of  the  future  world,  which  had  been  for 
ages  known  to  the  Jews.  Ezekiel's  vision  only  describes  a  national  resurrec- 
tion, but  it  seems  to  imply  a  belief  in  the  resurrection  of  the  body.  See 
Daniel  xii.  2.  I  owe  the  following  explanation  to  my  learned  friend,  Dr. 
Birch,  of  the  British  Museum. 

"  The  subject  of  the  plate  is  the  vignette  of  the  125th  chapter  of  the 
Eitual.  It  is  entitled,  '  The  going  to  the  Hall  of  the  two  Truths  and  making 
the  deceased  to  see  the  faces  of  the  godt-.'  It  is  the  scene  of  the  great 
Judgment  of  the  Dead.  On  the  left  Osiris  is  seated,  holding  a  crook  in  his 
left  hand  and  the  three-thonged  whip  in  his  right.  He  is  mummied  and  on 
a  throne.  The  crook  and  whip  have  mystical  significations  of  his  power  over 
the  lower  world.  The  object  before  him  is  a  panther's  or  calf's  skin  placed  on 
a  pole  stuck  into  a  kind  of  pedestal.  This,  I  think,  indicates  the  word  nem, 
or  '  second  life.'  He  is  in  a  shrine.  Before  him  is  inscribed  '  Osiris,  the 
good  Being,  lord  of  life,  great  god,  ruler  of  eternity,  resident  in  the  land  of 
Akar  (Hades) — resident  in  the  west — lord  of  Abydos,  king  of  ages." 

Before  the  shrine  are  the  following : — 

1.  Two  rows  of  21  gods  of  the  dead,  in  all,  42,  each  of  whom  received  a 
confession  of  the  deceased  that  he  had  not  committed  one  of  the  42  sins 
which  formed  the  Egyptian  decalogue.  The  deceased,  Nasamsi,  is  seen 
kneeling  and  addressing  them.  Beneath  the  frieze  of  the  hall  are  (2)  a 
table  of  offerings,  gourds,  and  water  plants.  Under  the  table  are  two  jars 
with  water  plants  entwined.  Above  is  an  illegible  inscription  apparently  in- 
tended for  "the  gift  of  offerings  in  Hades."  3.  Two  forms,  Shai,  "Fate," 
and  Renut,  "  her  nurse."  4.  The  symbols  Meskhent,  "the  cradle."  5.  The 
Amt,  "devourer"  of  wicked  souls — annihilation.  6.  Harpakhrat,  on  a 
crook,  the  symbol  of  the  New  Birth.  7.  Thoth,  recording  on  his  patella, 
or  writing  desk,  the  decision  of  the  god  as  to  the  future  state  of  the  soul. 
8.  The  balance,  surmounted  by  (9)  the  cynocephalus,  Anubis,  jackal-headed, 
holding  the  weights  of  the  scale  of  Truth  on  the  one  side  of  the  balance,  and 
Horus  holding  the  heart  of  the  deceased  on  the  other  scale.  The  inscription 
over  the  head  of  these  figures  says,  "  Said  by  the  lord  of  Hermopolis  (Thoth), 
great  god,  chief  of  Hesar — he  has  put  the  heart  of  the  Osiris  (deceased) 
Nasamsi,  in  its  place."  Tbe  other  inscription  in  this  portion  refers  to 
Anubis,  "The  head  of  the  divine  place  (Anubis) — he  says  his  heart  is  in  the 
midst  of  the  balance  tilled  with  the  Osiris  Nasamsi.  Above,  also,  is  "  Horus," 
the  name  of  the  god.  10.  II.  12.  The  deceased  introduced  by  the  Two 
Truths  into  the  Hall.  The  inscription  here  says,  "  Truth  the  ruler  of  the 
west,  she  dves  his  name,  in  his  abode  he  is  to  be  united  to  his  cell  (body)  for 
ever."  The  last  inscription  reads,  "  Like  him  who  is  head  of  the  west 
(Osiris),  she  gives  the  two  hands  to  thee,  Osiris  Nasamsi,  born  of  the  lady 
of  the  house  Satarbuni,  whose  word  is  true." 

Of  the  tenant  of  an  Egyptian  mausoleum,  Mr.  Gerald  Massey  gave  this 
description  in  a  recent  lecture  : — "  With  his  viscera  separately  preserved  in 
four  canopic  jars,  his  body  steeped  for  seventy  days  in  wine  and  natron,  and 
bound  up  in  a  linen  swathe,  some  seven  hundred  yards  in  length,  woven 
without  seam ;  his  hair  made  up  into  a  ball  and  coated  with  bitumen  ;  his 
teeth  and  nails  covered  with  gold  leaf ;  the  collar  of  Nine  Beads,  worn  by 
Isis,  encircling  his  neck,  the  beetle-type  of  transformation  placed  within  his 
breast,  the  mummy  was  deposited  in  the  sarcophagus  called  '  Hen-Ankhu ' 
(the  chest  of  the  living) ;  a  copy  of  the  book  of  breath  was  his  pillow,  and  the 
leaves  of  the  book  of  life  were  the  lining  of  his  coffin ;  his  types  of  protection, 
duration,  and  renewal  were  around  him,  and  with  the  eyes  of  the  sun  and  moon 
to  light  him  through  the  long  darkness,  the  Egyptian  entered  his  tomb,  called 
the  '  Good  Dwelling.'  A  number  of  copies  of  the  Shebti,  or  Double  of  the 
Dead,  were  ranged  in  the  Serdab,  to  signify  repetition,  and  the  Ka-image  of 
his  spiritual  self  was  erected  in  the  tomb  as  his  link  with  the  living." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   VISION    OP    THE    FUTURE. 

IN  the  passages  quoted  in  tlie  preceding  chapter  we 
have  samples  of  the  preaching  of  the  prophets  of 
the  Exile,  of  whom  Ezekiel  was  only  one.  He  did  not 
content  himself,  however,  with  his  sublime  vision  of  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead,  so  well  fitted  to  revive  the 
community  from  its  dejection,  but  followed  it  up,  soon 
after,  with  glowing  pictures  of  the  glory  of  the  nation 
when  thus  restored.  Aflame  with  patriotic  enthusiasm, 
which  in  his  case  was  identical  with  zeal  for  Jehovah,  he 
anticipated  a  wondrous  Messianic  future.  The  deporta- 
tion of  the  Ten  Tribes  to  Assyria,  more  than  a  century 
and  a  half  before,  had  effaced  all  ancient  grudges  and 
rivalries  from  the  breasts  of  the  Two  Tribes  then  still 
left  in  the  land,  and  had  awakened  a  spirit  of  brotherhood 
which  yearned  for  a  time  when  the  whole  nation,  so  long 
divided  and  estranged,  would  unite  under  one  head,  as  in 
the  happy  days  before  Rehoboam.  The  prophets  no  less 
than  the  people  looked  forward  to  this  much-desired 
consummation.  Hosea  ^  predicted  its  certain  attain- 
ment under  the  future  Messianic  king.     Amos,  Micah, 

1  Hosea  i.  11;  iii.  5.    Amos  ix.  11.    Micah  ii.  12,  13;  v.  2.   Isa. 
xi.  lo.    Jer.  iii.  18. 


THE   VISION   OP   THE    FUTURE.  231 

Isaiah,  and  Jeremiah,  in  succession,  dwelt  on  it,  to  cheer 
the  darkness  of  troubled  times.  The  day  was  coming 
when  "  Judah  and  Israel  would  be  gathered  again  and 
appoint  themselves  one  head."  "Ephraim  would  not 
envy  Judah,  nor  Judah  vex  Ephraim.'''  "  Judah  would 
come,  together  with  Israel,  out  of  the  land  of  the  North, 
to  the  land  of  their  fathers.'^  The  misery  of  the  past 
had  risen  in  great  measure  from  the  rupture  of  the 
kingdom  of  David.  Constant  civil  wars  had  weakened 
both  North  and  South,  and  left  them  a  prey  to  their 
heathen  enemies  around.  The  Ten  Tribes,  while  their 
kingdom  stood,  had  been  so  numerous  and  powerful 
compared  with  Judah,  that  they  had  been  recognised 
as  "  Israel,''  and  it  was  impossible  to  conceive  of  any 
national  restoration  which  would  not  include  them. 
Even  in  Ezekiel's  time,  moreover,  their  colonies  still 
existed  in  Assyria,  and  the  deliverance  of  these  seemed 
as  easy  as  that  of  Judah  from  Babylon. 

With  the  confident  expectation  of  this  return  of  all  the 
Twelve  Tribes  to  their  own  country,  ^  and  their  happy 
union  under  one  ruler,  a  confident  belief  was  cherished 
that  this  King  would  be  a  descendant  of  their  hero — 
David.  It  was  necessarily  taken  for  granted  by  both 
prophets  and  people,  that  the  anointed  leader,  or  Messiah, 
thus  expected,  would  restore  the  kingdom  on  the  lines 
of  its  ancient  constitution,  for  they  knew  nothing  higher. 
There  might  be  a  great  advance  in  the  religious  and 
moral  condition  of  the  community,  its  glory  might 
be  immeasurably  developed,  and  its  Messiah  Prince 
mif^rht  reio^n  in  hitherto  unimao^ined  riorhteousness  and 
peace;  but,  at  its  highest,  the  restored  kingdom  would 

Jer.  ii.  4;  iii.  18;  v.  11;  xxxi.  15.  Ezek.  iv.  4,  5;  xvi.  53; 
XX.  40;  xxxvii.  11 ;  xxxix.  25;  xlvii.  13;  xxxiv.  23;  xi.  15;  ix,  9, 
etc. 


232  THE    VISION    OF   THE    FUTUEE. 

only  be  a  transfiguration  of  tliat  of  David.  The  con- 
ception of  a  purely  spiritual  kingdom  lay  outside  tlie 
range  of  human  thouoht^  and  was  not  dreamed  of  till 
proclaimed  by  the  lips  of  our  Lord.  Hence  the  utter- 
ances of  Ezekiel,  like  those  of  all  his  order_,  could  picture 
the  glories  of  the  future  only  in  imagery  drawn  from 
the  past.  It  was  reserved  to  later  ages  to  learn  their 
higher  significance  through  the  light  shed  upon  them 
by  Christ.  That  Jewish  ideas  and  aspirations  fill  the 
visions  of  the  prophets,  need  not  therefore  surprise  us, 
though  it  is  essential  that  we  realize  their  significance 
by  the  light  of  New  Testament  revelation.  It  was 
quite  in  keeping  with  this  inevitable  mode  of  thought 
that  the  ancient  prophets  had  looked  forward  to  the 
future  glory  of  Israel  as  necessitating  the  return  of 
the  Ten  Tribes  from  exile ;  for  the  idea  of  a  spiritual 
Israel,  distinct  from  the  political,  was  beyond  them.  Nor 
was  it  possible  for  Ezekiel  to  think  or  speak  except  as 
a  Jew,  with  the  longings  and  expectations  of  his  day, 
unconscious  that  his  visions  had  a  deeper  meaning  than 
he  conjectured.  He  also,  therefore,  proclaimed  the 
approaching  deliverance  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  and  their 
union  with  Judah  under  a  common  head,  sprung  from 
David,  the  great  king  of  the  yet  undivided  people.  The 
word  of  Jehovah,  he  tells  us,  came  to  him,^  saying, — " 

i6  Son  of  man,  take  one  rod,  and  write  on  it,  "  Judah,  and  the 
sons  of  Israel  united  with  him;"^  then  take  another  rod,  and 
write  upon  it,  "Joseph,  the  representative^  of  Ephraim  and  all  the 
House  of  Northern  Israel  allied  to  it:''  17  and  bring  them  together, 
one  rod  to  the  other,  so  that  they  may  be  united  in  thy  hand. 
18  And  when  the  sons  of  thy  people  say  to  thee,  "  Wilt  thou  not 
show  us  what  thou  meanest  by  this  ?  "     19  Answer  them,  "  Thus 

1  Ezek.  xxxvii.  15  fif.         2  ^  g^  Benjamin  and  part  of  Simeon. 
^  Lit.,  •'  tree." 


THE    VISION    OP    THE    FUTURE.  233 

says  the  Lord  Jehovah :  Behold,  I  will  take  the  rod,  or  sceptre,  of 
Joseph,  held  by  Ephraim  and  the  tribes  of  Israel  joined  with 
him,  and  will  put  it  to  thiM  rod  of  Jndah.  and  make  them  one  rod, 
that  they  may  be  one  in  My  hand.  20  (To  teach  thy  people  this) 
the  rods  on  which  thou  writest  sliall  be  in  tliy  hand,  before  their 
eyes;  21  and  thou  shalt  say  to  tbetn,  "Thus  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah :  Beliold,  I  will  take  the  sons  of  Israel  from  among  the 
heathen,  whither  they  are  gone,  and  gather  them  from  all  parts, 
and  bring  them  to  their  own  land.  22  And  I  will  make  them  one 
people  in  the  land,  on  the  mountains  of  Israel,  and  one  king  shall 
reign  over  them  all :  and  they  will  no  longer  be  two  peoples,  nor 
will  they  any  longer  be  divided  into  two  kingdoms.  23  They  will 
no  more  defile  themselves  with  their  foul  gods  or  with  their 
abominations,  or  with  their  (former)  transgressions  ;  but  I  will 
help  them  from  all  their  backslidings^  by  which  they  have  sinned, 
and  will  cleanse  them,  and  they  shall  be  My  people,  and  I  will  be 
their  God.  24  And  My  servant  David  will  be  king  over  them,^ 
and  they  will  (thus)  all  have  one  shepherd  ;  and  they  will  walk  in 
My  laws,  and  keep  My  statutes,  and  do  them.  25  And  they  will 
dwell  in  the  land  that  I  gave  to  Jacob  My  servant,  in  which  your 
fathers  dwelt;  they  will  dwell  there,  they,  and  their  children,  and 
their  children's  children  for  ever  ;  and  My  servant  David  will  be 
their  prince  for  ever. 

26  And  I  will  make  a  covenant  of  peace  with  them,  a  covenant 
which  will  endnre  for  ever,  and  I  will  bless  them,^  and  increase 
them,  and  set  My  sanctuary  in  the  midst  of  them  for  evermore, 
27  My  dwelling-place  also  will  be  over  them ;  ^  I  will  be  their  God, 
and  they  will  be  My  people.  28  And  the  heathen  shall  know 
that  I,  'Jehovah,  set  apart  Israel  as  holy  to  Myself,  when  My 
sanctuary  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  them  for  evermore." 

'*  This  exquisite  picture  of  absolute  security  and  pros- 
perity could  not,  however,  be  realized  as  complete  with- 
out an  assurance  of  protection  from  hostile  attacks,  and 
this,  therefore,  is  added.  The  wild  races  of  Scythia  had 
spread  terror  over  all  Western  Asia  in  the  days  of  Josiah, 
and   were  still    remembered  with    dread.     The   heathen 

*  Sept.     Ewald.     Hitzig.     Eichliorn.  2  Ezek.  xxxiv.  23. 

^  Targum.  *  They  will,  as  it  were,  dwell  in  My  tent. 


234  THE    VISION    OP   THE    FUTURE. 

nations  as  a  whole,  in  their  opposition  to  the  kingdom 
of  God,  are  represented,  therefore,  under  the  figure  of  a 
second  invasion  of  the  Holy  Land  by  these  barbarous 
hordes.  Bat  He  who  had  led  His  people  back  from 
captivity  would  prove  Himself  their  Almighty  defender; 
the  foe  would  be  triumphantly  overthrown,  and  Israel, 
the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah,  finally  delivered  from  all 
fear,  would  enter  on  a  lasting  career  of  temporal  and 
spiritual  prosperity. 

2  Son  or  man,^  said  the  Word,  turn  thy  face  against  Gog  of  the 
land  of  Magog,  the  chief  prince  of  Meshech  and  Tubal,  ^  and 
prophesy  against  them,  saying,  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah: 
Behold,  I  am  coming  to  thee,  0  Gog,  thou  chief  prince  of  Meshech 
and  Tubal ;  4  and  will  lure  thee  on,  and  put  rings  in  thy  jaws,* 
and  draw  thee  forth,  thou  and  all  thine  army,  horses  and  riders, 
all  gorgeously  clad,  a  vast  multitude  with  great  shields  and 
smaH,  all  wielding  swords.  5  Persia,  Ethiopia,  and  Phuf*  are 
with  them ;  6  the  Cimmerian  Gomer,  ^  and  all  his  squadrons ; 
the  house  of  Togarmah  ^  in  the  farthest  north,  and  all  his  bands  ; 

^  Ezek.  xxxiv.,  xxxix. 

2  See  vol.  i.  p.  2:32.  "  Rosh,"  translated  "chief,"  in  ver,  2  is  taken 
as  a  proper  name  by  some,  but  most  translators  render  the  phrase 
as  in  the  text.  Schrader  {Keilinsckriften,  2te  Aufg.,  1882)  ac- 
cepts Magog  as  equivalent  to  Scythians  (p.  80).  Tubal  =  Tabal, 
according  to  him,  bordered  on  Oilicia,  and  seems  to  have  been 
what  was  afterwards  Cappadocia.  It  was  famous  for  "  great 
horses"  (p.  83).  Meshech  he  regards  as  having  lain  N.E.  of 
Cappadocia,  in  Lower  Armenia  (p.  84).  It  is  mentioned  by 
Tiglath-Pileser  L  (b.c.  1100)  along  with  Tubal  or  Tabal. 

3  See  vol.  V.  p.  90. 

"*  Heh.  These  are  in  the  farthest  south  from  Babylon,  where 
Ezekiel  lived.  The  Asiatic  Cush  or  Ethiopia  lay  in  Central  and 
Northern  Babylon.  Fried.  Delitzsch ;  but  see  vol.  i.  p.  238.  Phut 
was  the  name,  according  to  Ebers,  of  some  wandering  tribes  of 
Arabia.  Egypt  u.  die  B.  Moses,  p.  63;  but  see  vol.  i.  p.  249. 
Sayce  thinks  Phut  was  the  Somali  country  in  Eastern  Africa. 

»  Vol.  i.  p.  230.  «  Yol.  i.  p.  232. 


THE    VISION   OP   THE    FUTURE.  235 

many  people  with  tliee!  7  Be  ready,  prepare  thyself!  thon,  and 
all  thy  hosts  who  gather  round  thee,  and  be  thou  their  leader. 
8  After  many  days  thou  wilt  be  mu^teied ;  at  the  end  of  years 
thou  wilt  come  into  the  land^  redeemed  from  the  sword,  gathered 
out  of  many  peoples,  to  the  mountains  of  Israel  which  so  long  lay 
waste,  though  now  thy  tribes  have  been  led  forth  again  to  them 
from  among  the  heathen,  aiid  dwell  together  in  security.  9 
'J'hou  shalt  rush  on,  coming  like  a  tempest,  like  a  storm-cloud,  to 
cover  the  land,  thou,  and  all  thy  hosts  of  many  peoples,  with  thee. 

The  invasion  of  Israel  by  this  fierce  and  terrible  army 
is  now  described.  The  towns  lie  open,  in  fancied  se- 
curity, apparently  the  prize  of  a  sudden  attack. 

10  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah :  In  that  day  thoughts  will 
come  into  thy  heart,  and  thou  wilt  lay  wicked  plans,  saying, 
1 1  *'  I  will  burst  into  the  open  country  of  unwalled  villages ;  I 
will  come  upon  them  that  live  in  peace,  dwelling  in  (fancied) 
security;  who  live  without  walls,  or  bars,  or  gates."  12  (This 
thou  wilt  do)  to  obtain  plunder  and  gather  spoil,  to  lay  thine 
hand  on  the  newly  rebuilt  towns,  lately  in  ruins,  and  on  a  people 
gathered  (by  Me,  Jehovah)  out  of  the  nations — a  people  already 
possessing  cattle  and  goods,  and  inhabiting  the  centre  land^  of 
the  eai'th. 

The  traders  of  widely  different  nations  naturally  follow 
a  host  drawn  from  so  many  lands,  to  buy  up  the  plunder 
and  slaves.  On  such  a  harvest  they  counted,  and  they 
rejoice  in  proportion  as  it  becomes  evident  that  relentless 
spoil  is  the  one  object  of  the  war. 

13  SabaBa,^  and  Dedan,*  and  the  traders  of  Tarshish,^  with  all 
the  young  men  from  them,  greedy  for  gain  as  young  lions  for 
prey,  who  come  to  traffic  in  the  booty,  will  say  to  thee,  "  Hast 
thou  (really)  come  only   to  plunder  ?     Hast  thou   gathered  thy 

*  The  land  =  the  people  of  the  land  (Israel). 
2  Lit.,  "navel."     Note  this  conception  of  the  position  of  Pales- 
tine. 

s  Vol.  i.  p.  241.  *  Ihid.  «  Vol.  i.  p.  235. 


236  THE    VISION    OF    THE    FUTURE. 

host  only  to  collect  spoil  ?  to  carry  off  silver  and  gold,  to  take 
cattle  and  goods,  to  heap  up  a  great  booty?" 

The  remorseless  guilfc  of  such  an  invasion  of  a  nation 
dwelling  in  peace,  and  offering  no  cause  for  attack,  is 
farther  insisted  upon. 

14  Therefore,  son  of  man,  prophesy  and  say  to  Gog,  Thus  says 
the  Lord  Jehovah :  Is  it  not  thus  that  thou  wilt  stir  thyself,  and 
come  from  thy  home  in  the  farthest  north,  in  the  day  when  My 
people  Israel  dwells  in  peace — 15  thou  and  many  nations  with 
thee,  all  on  horse;  a  mighty  host,  a  vast  army,  16  and  shalt 
advance  against  My  people  Israel,  covering  the  earth  like  a 
cloud  ?  At  the  end  of  days  I  will  bring  thee  against  My  land, 
that  the  heathen  may  learn  whom  I  am,  when  I  show  Myself 
holy  befpre  their  eyes,  in  thy  punishment,  0  Gog! 

This  retribution  will  surely  strike  down  the  invader. 
Nature  itself  will  be  convulsed,  to  overthrow  him  utterly. 

17  Thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah :  Art  thou  he  of  whom  I  have 
prophesied  in  former  times  by  My  servants,^  the  prophets  of 
Israel,  who  in  those  days  prophesied,  long  years  together,  that 
I  would  bring  thee  against  them?  18  It  shall  come  to  pass  in 
that  day,  in  the  day  when  Gog  comes  against  the  land  of  Israel, 
says  the  Lord  Jehovah,  My  wrath  shall  rise  up  in  My  nostrils! 
19  For  in  My  indignation,  in  the  glow  of  my  anger,  have  I  spoken 
thus:  "Verily,  in  that  day  there  will  be  a  great  earthquake  in 
the  land  of  Israel.  20  The  fish  of  the  sea,  the  fowls  of  the 
heaven,  the  beasts  of  the  earth,  and  all  that  moves  on  the  face 
of  the  ground,  and  all  men  on  the  face  of  the  land,  will  tremble 
before  me,  and  the  mountains  will  be  thrown  down,  and  the  cliffs 
of  the  hills  ftill,  and  every  wall  sink  to  the  ground.  21  And  I 
will  call  aloud  to  all  My  mountains,  for  the  sword  against  Gog," 
says  the  Lord  Jehovah ;  "  every  man's  sword  will  be  against  his 

1  The  prophecies  here  referred  to  may  not  have  been  preserved, 
or  those  in  which  the  judgment  of  God  on  the  heathen  are  fore- 
told may  be  meant.  See  Joel  iv.  2,  11.  Isa.  xxv.  5,  10  ;  xxvi.  21. 
Jer.  XXX.  23, 25. 


THE    VISION    OF   THE    FUTURE.  237 

fellow.  22  And  I  will  execute  My  judgments  against  him  with 
pestilence  and  with  blood,  and  I  will  rain  on  him,  and  on  his 
hosts,  and  on  the  many  nations  with  him,  a  storm-deluge  of  rain, 
and  hailstones,  and  fire,  and  brimstone.  23  And  I  will  show  My 
gi'eatness  and  My  holiness,  and  will  reveal  Myself  in  the  eyes  of 
many  nations,  that  they  may  know  that  I  am  Jehovah." 

This  final  overthrow  of  tlie  enemies  of  Israel,  thus 
vividly  described,  was  nevertheless  too  grand  a  theme 
to  be  dismissed  without  another  outburst  of  prophetic 
jubilation.  The  certain  triumph  of  the  Anointed  King, 
the  Messiah,  is  therefore  once  more  announced  in  the 
next  strophes  of  this  grand  prediction. 

I  Son  of  man,^  prophesy  respecting  Gog,  and  say,  Thus 
speaks  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  Behold,  I  am  coming  to  thee,  O  Gog, 
thon  chief  prince  of  Meshech  and  Tubal!  2  I  will  lure  thee  out, 
and  lead  thee  forth,-  and  draw  thee  on,  from  the  furthest  north, 
and  bring  thee  to  the  mountains  of  Israel !  3  And  (there)  I  will 
smite  the  bow  out  of  thy  lefc  hand,  and  cause  thy  arrows  to  fall 
from  thy  right  hand.^ 

4  And  thou  shalt  fall  on  the  mountains  of  Israel,  thou,  and  all 
thy  hosts,  and  the  peoples  who  are  with  thee ;  I  will  give  thee 
for  meat  to  the  birds  of  prey  of  all  kinds,  and  to  the  beasts  of 
the  field.  5  Thou  shalt  fall  in  the  open  field,  for  I  have  spoken 
it,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah.  6  And  I  will  send  fire  on  (the  land 
ol)  Magog  (its'eK),  and  on  them  that  dwell  in  security  on  the 
sea-ccasts,'*  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah.  7  Thus  will 
I  make  known  My  holy  name  in  the  midst  of  My  people  Israel, 
and  not  suffer  it  to  be  any  longer  profaned,  that  the  heathen  may 
know  that  I  am  Jehovah,  the  Holy  One  in  Israel.     8  Behold,  it 


1  Ezek.  xxxix. 

2  Draw  thee  with  leading-strings.     Ewald. 

^  Bows  and  arrows  were  the  special  weapons  of  the  Scythians. 
Jer.  V.  16  ;  vi.  23.  "  Horse-bowmen"  is  the  name  given  them  by 
Herodotus.     Herod.,  iv.  46. 

^  The  dis'ant  coasts  and  islands  of  the  ends  of  the  earth,  from 
which  the  allies  of  Gog  came. 


238  THE   VISION    OF   THE    FUTURE. 

comes — it  is  as  good  as  done,  says  the  Lord  Jebovali !      This  is 
the  day  of  which  I  have  spoken  !  ^ 

The  victory  will  be  complete  and  the  booty  immense. 
The  weapons  of  the  slain  will  supply  fuel  for  seven 
years  to  Israel,  whose  land  "had  little  wood,  and  the 
burial  of  the  dead  will  take  seven  months ;  men  being 
employed  even  longer  in  searching  for  bones  that  had 
been  overlooked,  to  remove  all  traces  of  defilement  from 
the  holy  soil. 

9  The  men  of  the  towns  of  Israel  will  go  out  (after  the  cata- 
strophe), and  there  make  fires  of  the  arms  (cast  away  by  the 
fugitives,  or  left  by  the  dead) — the  large  shields  and  the  small, 
the  bows  and  the  arrows,  the  war  clubs,^  and  the  spears;  seven 
years  long  will  they  use  them  for  fuel,  lo  They  will  not  need 
to  bring  faggots  from  the  Geld  or  to  cut  down  fuel  in  the  yaars,^ 
for  the  wood  of  these  arms  will  serve  them  for  firing,  and  they 
will  spoil  those  that  spoiled  them,  and  plunder  those  that 
plundered  them,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

The  corpses  of  enemies  were  generally  left  unburied, 
or  at  most  were  interred  without  the  usual  rites,  only 
to  prevent  pestilence  or  defilement ;  slain  foes  thus  pass- 
ing into  the  underworld  as  "  uncircumcised,''  that  is,  dis- 
credited and  put  to  shame.^  In  this  case,  the  dead  will 
be  left  unburied,  a  prey  to  the  vultures  and  wild  beasts  ; 
but,  after  these  have  feasted  on  them,^  the  bones  will 
finally  be  collected  and  thrown  ignominiously  into  one  of 
the  deep  ravines  on  the  east  side  of  the  Dead  Sea,  out- 
side the  limits  of  the   Holy  Land,  of  which  the  Jordan 

1  The  great  day  of  Jehovah.  Joel  ii.  11.  Zeph.  i.  14.  Isa.  ii. 
12 ;  xiii.  6.  Jer.  xlvi.  10.  Ezek.  xiii.  5.  Amos  v.  18.  See  also 
references  from  these  texts. 

2  Hitzig  thinks  the  rods  used  to  drive  on  the  horses  meant, 
but  this  seems  very  poor.  ^  Yol.  iv.  p.  358. 

4  Ezek.  xxviii.  10;  xxxii.  17.  *  Ezek.  xxxix.  17. 


THE    VISION    OF   THE    FUTURE.  239 

will  form  the  boundary/  and  thus  the  soil  of  Israel  will 
be  purified  from  the  defilement  of  unburied  human  re- 
mains. 

II  In  that  day  I  will  appoint  Gog  a  burial  place  in  Israel,  the 
ravine  of  the  invading  hosts  of  the  wicked  ^  on  the  east  of  the 
(Dead)  Sea,  and  it  will  bar  the  way  of  invaders  or  passers-by,' 
and  there  they  will  bury  Gog  and  all  his  host,  and  they  will  call 
it  "  The  ravine  of  the  host  of  Gog."  12  And  the  House  of  Israel 
will  be  employed  seven  months  in  burying  them,  to  cleanse  the 
land.  13  The  whole  people  of  the  land  will  help,  and  it  will  be 
a  famous  day  for  them  when  I  glorify  Myself  thus,  says  the  Lord 
Jehovah.  14  And  they  will  set  apart,  permanently,  chosen  men 
to  travel  through  the  land,  to  bury  any  bones  of  the  invaders 
that  have  been  overlooked,  that  the  country  may  be  thoroughly 
cleansed.  They  will  begin  their  search  after  the  seven  months  of 
burying  have  ended.  15  And  if  any  of  them,  passing  through 
the  land,  see  a  human  bone,  he  will  set  up  a  mark  beside  it,  that 
the  buriers  of  the  dead  may  bury  it  in  the  ravine  of  the  host  of 
Gog.  16  (And  as  a  memorial  of  the  event)  the  name  of  Hamona 
— the  host — will  be  given  to  one  of  the  towns  of  the  land.^  Thus 
the  land  will  be  cleansed  1 

The  number  of  the  slain  will  be  so  great  that  Jehovah 
again  calls  on  the  vultures  and  wild  beasts  to  come  to 
the  ghastly  feast  on  human  flesh  prepared  for  them. 

*  Ezek.  xlvii.  18. 

2  Lit.,  "  passers-by."  It  is  in  one  ca-^e  rendered  in  our  version 
as  "transgressors"  (Prov.  xxvi,  10),  and  the  verb  of  which  it  is 
a  participle  is  often  tianslated  to  "  transgress."  Ifc  may  mean 
either  the  "invaders,"  the  "wanderirig  hordes,"  or  the  "godless." 
The  name  seems  to  be  given  from  the  burial  of  the  host  of  Gog 
in  it.  It  is  now  unknown  what  place  the  prophet  intended,  if^ 
indeed,  the  allusion  be  not  merely  figurative.  Eichhorn  changes 
the  word  Oberim  into  Abarim,  and  thinks  the  valley  of  that 
name  is  meant. 

3  I  have  here  combined  the  renderings  of  different  critics. 

*  This  clause  is  obscure. 


240  THE    VISION    OF    THE    FUTURE. 

17  Thou  also,  son  of  man,  call  to  every  kind  of  bird  of  prey  and 
to  every  beast  of  tlie  field  :  "Assemble  and  come;  gatber  from  all 
sides  to  My  sacrifice  feast,  which  I  have  slain  for  you— a  great 
sacrifice  feast  on  the  mountains  of  Israel— to  eat  flesh  and  drink 
blood." 

18  "Ye  shall  eat  the  flesh  of  heroes  and  drink  the  blood  of 
princes  of  the  earth,  rams,  and  lambs,  and  goats,  and  fed  bullocks 
of  Bashan.^  19  And  ye  shall  eat  fat  till  ye  be  full,  and  drink 
blood  till  ye  be  drunken,  from  My  sacrifice  feast  which  I  have 
slain  for  you.  20  And  ye  shall  have  your  fill  at  My  table,  of 
horses  and  riders,^  heroes  and  men  of  war  of  all  arms,  says  the 
Lord  Jehovah." 

21  Thus  shall  I  display  My  glory  among  the  heathen,  and  all 
their  nations  shall  see  My  judgment  that  I  have  executed,  and 
My  hand  that  I  have  laid  on  them.  22  And  the  House  of  Israel 
shall  know  that  I,  Jehovah,  am  their  God,  fiom  that  day  on,  for 
ever;  23  and  the  heathen  shall  know  that  the  House  of  Israel 
went  into  captivity  for  their  sin ;  and  that  I  hid  My  face  from 
them,  and  gave  them  into  the  hand  of  their  oppressors,  so  that 
they  all  fell  by  the  sword,  because  they  had  been  unfaithful  to 
Me.  24  I  dealt  with  them  according  to  their  uncleanness  and 
their  transgressions,  and  hid  My  face  from  them. 

The  purpose  of  the  destruction  of  Gog,  like  that  of 
the  restoration  of  Israel,  is  declared  by  the  prophet  to 
be  the  glory  of  the  Divine  name  before  the  heathen  and 
Israel.  Meanwhile,  after  the  Keturn,  the  justice  of  God 
in  the  exile  of  His  people  will  be  acknowledged,  and  He 
will  no  more  veil  His  face  from  them,  but  will  pour  out 
on  them  His  Spirit,  the  pledge  of  His  abiding  favour. 

25  Therefore,  thus  says  the  Lord  Jehovah:  I  will  now  bring 
back  again  the  exiles  of  Jacob  (to  their  own  home),  and  have  pity 
on  the  whole  House  of  Israel,  and  be  jealous  for  My  holy  name. 

*  The  heroes  and  princes  are  called  by  these  names  of  animals 
used  in  sacrifice.  Isa.  xxxiv.  6.  Jer.  xlvi.  10.  The  usage  is  fre- 
quent in  Scripture. 

'^  Keil.     Ewald.     Eichhorn. 


THE    VISION    OP    THE    FUTURE.  241 

26  And  tliey  shall  bear,  (as  penitents),  their  shame  for  all  the 
transgressions  (formerly)  committed  against  Me,  when  they  (once 
more)  dwell  safely  in  their  own  land,  none  making  them  afraid. 

27  When  I  bring  them  back  again  from  the  peoples,  and  gather 
them  out  of  the  lands  of  their  enemies,  and  show  Myself  holy 
towards  them  before  many  nations,  28  they  shall  know  that  I, 
Jehovah,  am,  and  was,  their  God,  alike  when  I  banished  them 
among  the  heathen,  and  (afterwards)  when  I  gathered  them 
again  into  their  own  land,  leaving  none  behind  (in  captivity). 
29  And  I  will  hide  My  fixce  no  more  from  them,  but  will  pour 
out  My  Spirit  on  the  House  of  Israel,  says  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

Ezekiel  had  now  painted  the  future  of  the  people  of 
God,  till  tlieir  triumphant  establishment  in  their  own 
land,  after  the  overthrow  of  all  opposition ;  their  hearts 
changed  from  stone  to  flesh,  and  the  Divine  Spirit  be- 
stowed on  them,  to  secure  their  permanent  fidelity  to 
Jehovah.  Such  a  picture  could  hardly  be  realized  in  a 
national  sense,  for  in  any  general  community  there  must 
always  be  good  and  bad.  It  must  therefore  have  re- 
ferred— though  the  prophet  may  not  have  penetrated  the 
full  significauce  of  his  own  utterances — to  a  spiritual 
Israel,  under  a  spiritual  Messiah,  not  to  the  national 
Israel,  though  the  chosen  people.^  But  this  higher  and 
nobler  theocracy  demanded,  like  that  of  Moses,  a  cen- 
tral sanctuary,  a  body  of  laws,  and  a  distribution  of  the 
soil  amongst  its  population.  As  became  the  scenery  of 
visions,  those  picturing  the  restoration  and  its  atteifdant 
wonders  had  throughout  been  in  the  highest  degree 
figurative,  and  so  is  tlieir  culmination  in  the  chapters 
that  follow.  The  overthrow  of  Gog  had  been  painted 
in  the  boldest  poetical  images;  all  the  powers  of  nature 
conspiring  to  fight  for  Israel,  as  when  Joel  sees  the  sun 
turned  into  darkness  and  the  moon  into  blood;-  and 
hears  Jehovah  shout  the  battle  cry  as  He  rushes  down 

*  Rom.  ii.  28,  20;   ix.  6.  -  Juel,  chapters  iii.  and  iv. 

VuL.    VI.  K 


242  THE    VISION    OF   THE    FUTUEE. 

from  Zioti,  and  the  heavens  and  earth  seem  to  shake  at 
the  overthrow  of  the  heathen,  in  ^*  the  great  day  of  the 
Lord/' 

Such  language  is  that  of  the  loftiest  poetry,  and  must 
not  be  treated  as  if  it  were  prose;  it  presents  a  great 
truth,  but  the  details  are  not  intended  to  foreshadow 
a  literal  realization.  The  same  principle  must  be  kept 
in  view  in  the  remaining  chapters  of  EzekieFs  visions, 
portraying  in  words  equally  figurative  the  features  of 
the  New  Theocracy,  amidst  redeemed  and  regenerated 
Israel.  He  writes  as  a  Jew  and  as  a  priest,  using  the 
imagery  of  the  little  world  in  which  he  moved  ;  the  only 
material  he  had  in  which  to  embody  his  thoughts. 

Carried  off  to  Babylon  in  opening  manhood,  from  his 
priestly  functions  and  their  daily  associations,  every  detail 
of  these  had  impressed  itself  on  the  mind  of  Ezekiel  with 
all  the  vividness  and  tender  sympathy  felt  through  life 
for  the  reminiscences  of  our  early  years.  The  Temple  in 
all  its  aspects  was  the  central  object  in  his  recollections. 
Its  buildings,  in  all  their  parts  and  uses;  its  worship, 
in  all  its  rites ;  its  economy  in  the  minutest  particulars, 
had  been  familiar  to  him  from  childhood,  and  stood  out 
in  his  memory  with  unfading  clearness,  in  the  land  of  his 
exile.  The  Messianic  kingdom,  when  it  should  come, 
could  in  his  opinion  have  no  grander  sanctuary  than  a 
transfiguration  of  that  on  Mount  Zion,  where  Jehovah  had 
sat  between  the  cherubim.  It  was,  indeed,  inevitable, 
as  has  been  noticed,  that  the  materials  of  his  visions 
should  be  drawn  from  the  range  of  his  experience ;  for 
the  human  mind  cannot  create,  but  only  contrast  and 
combine,  or  develop.  We  have  seen  how,  thus,  in  his 
conceptions  of  the  cherubim,  he  avails  himself  of  the 
mythological  colossi  around  him  in  Babylonia;  ^  though 
»  Vol  V.  p.  437. 


THE    VISION    OF   THE    FUTURE.  243 

even  these,  if  we  think  of  it — the  wings,  the  legs,  the 
various  faces  in  strange  union — are  only  presentations  of 
natural  objects  in  new  conjunctions.  Our  angels,  in  the 
same  way,  are  only  beautiful  human  figures  ;  our  heaven 
is  only  a  succession  of  exquisite  earthly  landscapes.  We 
cannot,  indeed,  avoid  transferring  our  ordinary  ideas  to 
the  future  world.  Accustomed  to  cities,  we  raise  a  great 
city  of  God  in  our  imaginations  of  the  future,  just  as  in 
an  age  or  region  where  cities  were  unknown,  we  might 
have  pictured  heaven  as  a  garden,  like  Eden. 

To  Ezekiel  and  his  contemporaries,  the  grand  future 
in  store  for  the  nation  could  only  be  a  glorious  renovation 
of  the  sacred  past.  The  Temple,  the  forms  of  public 
service,  the  maintenance  of  the  priests,  the  divisions  of 
the  land  among  the  tribes,  the  establishment  of  ihe  ex- 
pected Ruler,  and  all  else,  might  vary  in  details  from  the 
practice  of  former  times,  but  must  repeat  their  leading 
characteristics.  Yet  the  descriptions  in  which  the  prophet 
sets  them  before  us  were  only  visions,  not  literal  antici- 
pations. Looking  forward  into  the  magnificent  Messianic 
future,  he  paints  it  in  such  imagery  as  alone  was  possible 
to  him,  or  comprehensible  by  his  nation.  It  was  left  for 
after  ages  to  read  the  true  meaning  by  fuller  spiritual 
light,  and  separate  the  material  symbol  from  the  truth  it 
embodied. 

That  the  pictures  of  the  restored  land  are  only  to  be 
regarded  as  the  scenery  of  prophetic  dreams  or  visions  is 
clear.  I  may  quote  a  few  proofs.  Three  thousand  cubits 
are  stated  as  the  extent  of  the  precincts  of  the  New 
Temple  on  Mount  Moriah,  but  that  hill  could  not  possibly 
afford  a  space  equal  to    1,500    yards,^  or  nearly  seven- 

^  Ezek.  xlii.  19,  20.  Conder  makes  the  cubit  sixteen  inches 
{Handbook,  p.  37).  Other  esLimaies  make  it  eighteen  or  twenty 
inches.     Diet,  of  the  Bibles  vol.  ii.  p.  1737. 


244  THE    VISION   OP   THE    FUTUEE. 

eighths  of  a  mile  square.  Nor  can  the  priestly  laws  he 
announces  be  viewed  as  intended  for  an  authoritative 
code^  since  they  were  disregarded  after  the  return  from 
Babylon.  Thus  Zerubbabel,  and  Joshua  the  high  priest, 
followed  the  old  Mosaic  rules,  not  those  of  Ezekiel,  in 
consecrating  the  Temple/  disregarding  even  the  day 
named  for  the  great  solemnity  by  the  prophet — the  first 
of  the  first  month,^  for  which  they  substituted  the  first  of 
the  seventh.^  If,  besides,  there  are  resemblances  between 
the  Temple  of  Ezekiel  and  that  of  Solomon,  there  are  also 
striking  contrasts.  The  former  was  to  be  north  of  Jeru- 
salem ;  *  the  other  rose  to  the  south  of  the  city.  In  the 
new  sanctuary  numerous  chambers  were  to  be  provided  for 
the  priests  and  Levites  while  on  duty;  and  the  sacred 
order  was  no  longer,  as  of  old,  to  be  scattered  in  separate 
communities  through  the  country,  but  in  a  special  district 
assigned  to  it.  The  territories  allotted  by  the  prophet  to 
the  Messiah  Prince  comprise  almost  the  whole  centre  of 
the  land,  and  they  cannot  be  alienated ;  to  prevent  alike 
the  impoverishment  of  the  Crown,  or  an  excuse  for  its  en- 
croachment on  the  lands  of  the  people.^  Equal  divisions 
of  the  country  are  assigned  to  the  different  tribes,  that 
none  might  envy  its  neighbours.^  In  contrast  to  the 
exclusiveness  of  the  past,  lands  are  set  apart,  between 
those  of  the  tribes,  for  aliens,  that  no  one  willing  to  work 
might  suff"er  poverty.  The  prince  is  required  to  provide 
the  oS'erings  and  necessaries  of  the  Temple,  and  thus 
secure  the  due  performance  of  public  worship;  rich  gifts 
to  him  being  demanded  from  the  community,  that  this 
may  not  be  burdensome.  New  laws,  moreover,  are  pre- 
scribed for  the  Temple  service  and  for  the  priests.     But 

1  Ezek.  xl\r.  18.     Ezra  iii.  2.  2  gzek.  xlvi.  18. 

3  Ezra  iii.  1-6.  *  Ezek.  xl.  2. 

5  Ezek.  xlv.  8.  ^  Ezek.  xlvii.  14. 


THE    VISION    OP    THE    FUTURE.  245 

in  none  of  these  vital  points  was  there  even  an  attempt 
after  the  Return,  to  reah'ze  EzekieFs  ideal.  It  was  seen 
to  be  only  a  fitting  close  to  the  marvellous  visions  so 
peculiar  to  him. 

If  further  proof  were  wanted  that  this  glorious  recon- 
stitution  of  Israel  and  its  territory  was  only  a  glowing 
picture  of  the  imagination,  it  is  supplied  by  the  features 
with  which  it  closes.  The  prophet  anticipates  the  return 
of  a  golden  age.  Jerusalem,  the  capital  of  the  new- 
Messianic  kingdom,  is  to  be  transformed  into  a  second 
Eden.  A  river  of  living  water  from  the  Temple  hill  will 
turn  even  the  desolation  of  the  wilderness  of  Judea  iuto 
beauty  and  fertility.  How  far  he  may  have  expected  as 
the  immediate  result  of  the  return  from  Babylon,  such 
a  happy  and  blameless  community,  in  a  country  miracu- 
lously glorified,  is  difficult  to  tell.  Even  the  Apostles 
looked  for  the  speedy  return  of  our  Lord,  with  all  its 
wondrous  results,  though  it  was  to  be  long  deferred; 
and  in  the  same  way  Ezekiel,  warmed  by  patriotic  and 
religious  enthusiasm,  may  have  fondly  dreamed  that  his 
splendid  visions  would  be  realized  as  soon  as  his  people 
were  re-established  in  their  own  land.  For  neither 
apostles  nor  prophets  could  read  the  times  of  fulfilment 
of  the  great  puiposes  of  God. 

It  was  on  the  tenth  of  Nisan,  ^'  the  beginning  of  the '' 
fourteenth  '^  year,^^  ^  after  the  fall  of  the  Holy  City — 
the  twenty-fifth  of  his  own  exile,  that  the  closing  cycle 
of  his  visions  was  vouchsafed  to  Ezekiel.  The  day 
was  that  on  which  preparations  began  for  the  Passover, 
commemorating  the  deliverance  of  Israel  from  Egypt, 
and  thus,  beyond  all  others,  naturally  awoke  thoughts 
of  the  great  future  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  when  rescued 
from  its  present  Captivity.  Years  before,  ^'as  he  sat  in 
»  Ezek.  xl.  1. 


246  THE    VISION   OP    THE    FUTURE. 

his  house ''  at  Tel  Abib,  in  the  company  of  the  elders  of 
Judahj  he  had  fallen  into  a  trance,  in  which  he  seemed 
to  be  supernaturally  borne  to  Jerusalem,  and  placed  in 
the  midst  of  the  Temple  courts.^  In  the  same  way  it 
appeared  now  as  if  he  had  been  carried  away  to  Judah, 
and  set  down  on  a  very  high  mountain  on  which  was  a 
town,  towards  the  south.  It  was  Mount  Zion,  or  rather 
Moriah,  on  which  the  Temple  of  Solomon  had  stood;  now 
apparently  raised  above  all  the  hills  around/  in  accor- 
dance with  the  vision  of  Micah,  though  actually  it  is 
much  lower.  A  being  in  form  like  a  man,  but  resplen- 
dent with  golden  light,  stood,  with  a  cord  of  flax  and 
a  measuring  rod  in  his  hand,  at  one  of  the  gates  of 
a  great  temple,  and  proceeded  to  measure  its  various 
parts.  The  enclosing  walls ;  the  gates ;  the  tables, 
eioht  in  number,  on  which  the  beasts  for  sacrifice 
were  to  be  slaughtered ;  the  chambers  for  the  sub- 
ordinate necessities  of  the  Temple  service,  for  the 
singers,  and  for  the  priests ;  the  magnificent  porch  ;  the 
various  courts ;  the  thickness  of  the  walls,  and  their 
height;  the  doors  and  their  posts,  were  all  in  turn 
measured,  and  the  details  written  down  minutely  by  the 
prophet.  The  inner  walls  of  the  Temple  and  its  inner 
doors  were  seen  to  be  sculptured  with  alternate  cherubim 
and  palm  trees  ;  an  altar  of  wood  stood  in  the  Holy 
Place,  and  there  were  numerous  cells  or  chambers,  in 
some  of  which  the  priests  would  eat  the  parts  of  the 
"  holy  things ''  that  fell  to  their  share,  while  others  were 
store-rooms  for  the  materials  of  the  various  offerings,^  or 
robing  chambers  for  the  officiating  ministers  of  the  altar. 
Hardly,  however,  had  the  angel  finished  all  the  measur- 
ing, before  the   glory   of  Jehovah   appeared   advancing 

1  Ezek.  viii.  1-3.  ^  Micah  iv.  1.     Isa.  ii.  2. 

3  Ezek.  xlii.  13. 


THE    VISION    OF   THE    FUTURE.  247 

towards  the  east  gate,  by  which  it  had  left  the  sanctuary 
in  the  former  vision,^  its  splendour  lighting  up  the  earth 
before  it,  while  a  mighty  sound,  like  that  of  many  waters, 
heralded  its  approach.  Presently  the  sacred  building 
was  filled  with  this  blinding  glory,  the  symbol  of  the 
presence  of  Jehovah,  and  Ezekiel  heard  a  voice  saying  to 
him,  as  he  stood  in  the  inner  or  priests'  court : — 

7  Son  of  man!  2  Beliold  tliis  is  the  place  of  My  throne,  the 
place  of  the  soles  of  My  feet,  where  I  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of 
tbe  children  of  Isi-ael  for  ever  !  The  House  of  Israel  will  no  more 
defile  My  holy  name,  neither  they  nor  their  kings,  by  their 
impurity,^  or  by  the  dead  bodies  of  their  kings,  in  their  funeral 
vaults.* 

Manasseh  and  Amon  had  been  buried  in  the  royal 
gardens,^  close  to  the  southern  end  of  the  Temple;  but 
such  a  desecration  of  the  sacred  hill  would  no  longer  be 
permitted  in  the  approaching  stricter  age. 

8  For  they  used  to  set  their  thresholds  close  to  Mine,  and  their 
door-posts  by  My  posts,  with  only  a  wall  between  Me  and  them, 
and  thus  they  defiled  My  holy  name,  by  the  abominations  they 
committed  close  to  My  house,  so  that  I  consumed  them  in  My 
anger.  9  But  now  they  will  put  away  their  foul  idolatry,  and  the 
dead  bodies  of  their  kings,  far  from  Me,  and  I  will  dwell  among 
them  for  ever. 

The  prophet  is  then  directed  to  tell  his  people  what  he 
has  seen — the  structure  and  details  of  the  Temple,  with 
all  the  laws  and  ordinances  to  be  communicated  to  him 
respecting  it — if  they  show  the  proper  spirit  of  penitence 
and  obedience.*  Instructions  for  the  consecration  of  the 
new  altar  follow,^  showing  some  variations  from  that  of  the 

^  Ezek.  X.  19;  xi.  1,  23.  /  Ezek.  xliii.  7,  8. 

'  Their  idolatry.  *  Some  read,  "after  their  death.'* 

«  2  Kings  xxi.  18-26.  «  Ezek.  xliii.  10,  11. 

7  Ezek.  xliii.  18. 


248  THE    VISION    OF   THE    rUTURE. 

altar  of  the  Tabernacle  or  of  Solomon's  Temple,  though 
for  the  most  part  the  same.^  The  officiating  priests,  in 
this  and  all  other  cases,  however,  are  limited  to  the 
descendants  of  Zadok,^  the  representative  of  the  elder 
branch  of  the  family  of  Aaron,  who  since  the  time  of 
David  had  superseded  the  line  of  Eli,  which  was  that 
of  Ithamar,  Aaron's  younger  son.^  Special  rules  are 
laid  down  for  them,  some  of  which  are  striking.  In  the 
old,  irregular  times,  carelessness  and  indifference  had 
marked  the  services  of  the  slaves  attached  to  the  temple 
— the  descendants  of  the  Gibeonites,  condemned  by 
Joshua  to  be  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water,'^  and 
the  "slaves  of  Solomon''^— apparently  captives  taken  in 
war,  whom  David,  Solomon,  and  the  dignitaries  of  the 
Temple  had  used  in  the  menial  duties  of  public  worship. 
They  were  no  longer  to  be  thus  employed.  Descended 
from  uncircuracised  aliens,  they  were  not  to  be  allowed 
to  enter  the  new  sanctuary  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom.^ 
Henceforward,  only  priests  and  Levites  should  minister 

1  Exod.  xxix.  37.     Lev.  Tiii.  33.     2  Chron.  vii.  9. 

2  Zadok  was  the  son  of  Ahitub,  of  the  line  of  Eleazar  (1  Chron. 
xxiv.  3),  and  remained  faithful  to  David  during  the  rebellion  of 
Absalom  (2  Sam.  xv.  24).  He  also  anointed  Solomon  in  opposition 
to  Adonijah  (1  Kings  i.  32).  The  high  priest,  Abiathar,  on  the 
other  hand — a  dignitary  descended  from  the  line  of  Ithamar, 
Eli's  Hne — supported  Adonijah  (1  Kings  vii.  25).  and  was  removed 
on  this  account  from  his  office  by  Solomon,  Zadok  befDg  put  in 
his  place;  the  new  line  thus  established  retaining  the  dignity  to 
the  fall  of  the  kingdom. 

^  If,  as  some  critics  allege,  the  separation  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  into 
priests  and  Levites  was  made,  not  at  Sinai,  but  after  the  Exile, 
how  does  it  happen  that  Ezekiel  lays  stress  on  this  line  of  Zadok 
as  the  rightful  priests  ?  Their  claim  rests  on  something  before 
David's  time — what  could  it  be  but  the  appointment  by  Moses  ? 

•»  Josh.  ix.  27.  5  Ezra  viii.  20.     Neh.  vii.  60. 

«  Ezek.xlix.  6-9. 


THE    VISION    OF    THE    FUTURE.  249 

in  God^s  bouse.  But  even  among  these,  such  as  in  the 
past  bad  lent-  themselves  to  idolatry,  were  no  longer  to  dis- 
charge the  higher  duties  of  their  office,  but  to  be  confined 
to  the  humblest  services.  None  but  the  descendants  of 
Zadok  should  act  as  priests  at  the  altar  and  in  the 
sanctuary,  because  they  had  kept  themselves  free  from 
all  taint  of  heathenism.^  The  unfaithful  priests  should 
only  be  keepers  of  the  gates,  and  servants  to  the  people 
when  offerings  were  presented — killing  the  victims;  a  task 
till  now  permitted  to  any  off'erer.  As  under  the  old  law 
in  Exodus,-  the  dress  of  the  new  priests  was  to  be  exclu- 
sively linen,  that  they  might  not  be  polluted  by  the  heat 
of  woollen  garments.^  Their  full  official  dress,  moreover, 
was  only  to  be  worn  while  they  were  actually  on  duty, 
and  was  to  be  laid  aside  before  leaving  their  own  court 
in  the  Temple,  that  the  people  might  not  be  burdened 
by  being  required  to  be  always  Levitically  clean, 
which  would  otherwise  be  imperative,  lest  the  "holy 
garments''  might  touch  them.*  Their  hair  was  neither 
to  be  shaved  off  nor  let  grow  without  trimming,  but 
was  to  be  kept  carefully  cut.^  As  of  old,  in  the  laws 
of  Leviticus,  they  were  to  drink  no  wine  when  on  duty.^ 
Hitherto  only  the  high  priest  had  been  forbidden  to 
marry  a  widow ;  ^    now  it  was  prohibited  to  all  priests, 

^  By  "Levites,"  in  Ezekiel  xliv.  10,  are  meant  all  descendants 
oF  Levi — priests  or  "  Levites."  ^[embers  of  both  classes  had 
supported  heaihenisra,  and  were  now  to  be  degraded.  This  is 
implied  in  the  expression  "  they  shall  bear  (the  penalty  of)  their 
iniquity."  The  fidelity  of  the  descendants  of  Zadok  is  noticed 
(Ezelv.  xliv.  15).  They  "kept  the  charge  of  My  sanctuary 
•when,"  etc. 

2  Exod.  xxviii.  42.  ^  gzck.  xliv.  17,  18. 

4  Sec  Lev.  vi.  11-20.     Ezek.  xlvi.  20.     Exod.  xxix.  37;  xxx.  29. 

5  Ezek.  xliv.  20.     Lev.  xxi.  5,  10. 

^  Ezek.  xliv.  21.    Lev.  x.  9.  ^  Lev.  xxi.  14 


250  THE    VISION    OF   THE    FUTURE. 

except  ill  the  case  of  a  priest^s  widow.^  The  whole  order 
was  thus  to  be  specially  guarded  from  even  the  appear- 
ance of  laxity.  Their  general  duty' was  declared  to  be, 
teaching  the  people  the  distinction  of  holy  and  unholy, 
clean  and  unclean,^  and  to  act  as  judges  in  all  disputes, 
deciding  according  to  the  Law,  as  they  had  hitherto  done 
in  specified  cases.^  At  the  great  religious  festivals,  they 
were  to  see  that  all  the  requirements  of  the  Law  were 
complied  with,  and  they  were  to  take  care  that  the  Sabbath 
was  duly  honoured.  The  old  statute*  respecting  their 
being  defiled  by  coming  near  a  dead  body  was  re-enacted, 
but  it  was  added,  that  even  in  cases  when  their  presence 
beside  the  corpse  of  a  relative  had  been  hitherto  per- 
mitted, the  subsequent  necessary  purification  and  suspen- 
sion from  duty  for  seven  days  were  now  insufficient,  and 
a  fortnight's  suspension  was  substituted.  So  '^  holy  " 
were  they  to  be  under  the  Messiah.  For  these  duties 
they  were  to  receive  corresponding  emoluments.  They 
were  no  longer,  as  in  the  past,  to  have  glebes  in  common, 
though  they  were  to  have  ground  for  their  houses,^  but 
were  to  be  supported  by  a  share  of  the  sacrifices  and 
offerings,  and  from  the  tithes  and  first-fruits,  which 
belonged  to  Jehovah,  and  were  made  over  to  the  priests 
as  His  public  servants.*  The  prohibition  to  eat  that 
which  had  died  of  itself  or  had  been  torn  by  beasts  was 
continued.'^ 

Directions  follow  as  to  the  space  in  the  land  to  be  set 

1  Ezek.  xliv.  22. 

2  Lev.  X.  10.     Deut.  xxxiii.  10.     Ezek.  xxii.  26  or  xliv.  23. 
'  Deut.  xvii.  8;  xix.  7;  xxi.  5.     Ezek.  xliv.  24. 

^  Lev.  xxi.  1-3.  *  Ezek.  xliv.  29-31 ;  xlv.  4 

6  Comp.  Lev.  ii.  3;  vi.  9,  11,  19;  vii.  6,  7;  xxvii.  21.  Exod. 
xxiii.  19  ;  xxxiv.  26.  Deut.  xviii.  4.  Num.  xviii.  13 ;  xv.  19 ; 
xviii.  19 ;  xv.  20,  21. 

7  Lev.  xxii.  8  ;  xvii.  15. 


THE    VISION    OP    THE    FUTURE.  251 

apart,  to  Jehovah,  after  the  division  of  the  country  among 
the  tribes.^  A  tract  measuring,^  apparently,  about  seven 
miles  from  east  to  west,  and  three  from  north  to  south, 
was  to  be  marked  off  for  the  Temple,  the  priests  and  the 
Levites,  and  on  each  side  of  this  a  space  of  the  same 
breadth  for  the  prince ;  stretchiog  from  one  side  of  the 
country  to  the  other.  With  this,  the  future  king  was 
to  content  himself,  refraining  from  all  oppression,  and 
honouring  Jehovah  by  a  just  and  noble  reign.^  But 
this  separation  of  a  sacred  and  a  royal  district  from 
the  rest  of  the  country,  was  never  attempted ;  the  whole 
vision  being  treated  as  outride  the  sphere  of  practical 
politics  or  economics.  After  insisting  on  just  weights 
and  measures,*  the  prophet  prescribes  the  public  contri- 
butions to  be  made  to  the  prince  for  the  temple  offerings 
and  sacrifices,  which  were  to  be  primarily  under  his  care.^ 
Then  follow  rules  as  to  the  sacrifices  for  people  and 
prince,  and  for  the  festivals,  showing  many  curious 
variations  from  the  parallel  Mosaic  laws.®  The  feast  of 
Pentecost,  however,  is  wholly  omitted  and  so  are  the 
sounding  of  the  trumpets  on  the  first,  and  the  Day  of 

1  Ezek.  xlv. 

2  Keil  and  some  others,  think  25,000  "  reeds  "  intended,  bub 
cubits  seem  to  be  implied  (Ezek.  xlv.  1).  The  space  is  very  great 
if  reeds  are  meant — 42  miles  by  17.  ^  Ezek.  xlv.  9. 

*  The  "  bath  "  in  Ezek.  xlv.  was  a  fluid  measure,  the  "  ephah"  a 
dry  measure.  See  vol.  iv.  p.  304.  The  various  shekels  named  are 
shekels  of  different  weight.  *  Ezek.  xlv.  13-17. 

^  Ezekiel  commands  the  offering  of  a  young  bullock  as  a  sin- 
offering  on  the  first  day  of  the  first  month.  Moses  had  com- 
manded the  offering  of  a  he-goat,  in  addition  to  the  burnt  and 
meat-offering  (Num.  xxviii.  15).  He  also  ordered  a  special  ^in- 
otferiiig  in  the  new  moon  of  the  seventh  month,  but  instead  of 
this,  Ezekiel  appoints  sin-offerings  for  the  first  and  seventh  days 
of  the  first  month  (Ezek.  xlv.  21,  22).  The  blood  also  is  to  be 
sprinkled  on  the  door  posts  of  the  forecourts,  instead  of  on  the 


252  THE  VISION  or  the  future. 

Atonement  on  the  tenths  of  tlie  seventh  month  ;^  a  veiy 
strange  fact  if  Ezekiel,  according  to  the  new  criticism, 
was  the  true  founder  of  Judaism  and  its  Levitical  laws. 

The  rules  for  the  respective  shares  of  the  prince,  and  the 
people,  in  public  worship,  are  next  given.  The  east  gate 
of  the  new  temple  ^  was  to  be  shut  during  the  week,  but 
open  on  the  Sabbath  and  the  day  of  the  new  moon,  and  the 
prince  was  to  enter  by  this  outer  gate,  and  stand  at  the 
gate  of  the  priests'  court  within,  worshipping  Jehovah 
from  the  gate  while  the  sacrifices  were  being  offered  on 
the  altar,  and  then  leaving  by  the  way  he  entered.  The 
people  also  were  to  worship  before  this  inner  gate  on 
the  Sabbaths  and  new  moons.^     Details  are  given  of  the 

horns  of  the  altar  and  towards  the  mercy  seat.  Moses  knows 
nothing  of  such  a  iniivorsal  offering  for  the  people  as  Ezekiel 
orders  on  the  seventh  of  the  first  montli  (Lev.  iv.-vi.)  Instead 
of  seven  oxen  and  seven  rams  daily  (Ezek.  xlv.  23),  Moses 
appoints  two  oxen,  one  ram  and  seven  lambs  (Num.  xxviii.  19). 
The  meat-offering  (Ezek.  xlv.  24)  is  different  from  that  prescribed 
by  Moses  (Num.  xxviii-  20) ;  and  the  solemnities  for  the  Passover 
and  Tabernacles  in  Ezekiel  also  vary  from  the  ancient  directions. 
At  Tabernacles,  Moses  commands  that  the  number  of  oxen 
offered,  lessen  with  each  day — thirteen,  twelve,  eleven,  and  so  on 
(Num.  xxix.  13  ff.).  Moses  ordered  two  rams  only  to  be  offered; 
Ezekiel  seven ;  and  he  omits  altogether  the  fourteen  lambs  offered 
under  the  old  law  (Num.  xxix.  13).  Nor  has  he  ^aid  anything  of 
those  appointed  for  the  Passover  and  Tabernacles,  though  they 
could  not  be  dispensed  with.  Ezra  did  not  follow  Ezekiel's 
laws.     (Compare  Ezra  iii.  1-6 ;  Ezek.  xlv.  18.) 

1  Ezek.  xlv.  21-25.  ^  Ezek.  xlvi. 

3  Moses  orders  only  two  sheep  to  be  offered  on  the  Sabbath. 
Ezekiel  requires  six  sheep  and  a  ram  to  be  offered  (Num.  xxviii. 
9  ;  Ezek.  xlvi.  5).  The  prophet  leaves  the  "  meab-offering  "  to 
the  ability  of  the  offerers ;  Moses  leaves  nothing  to  choice  (Num. 
xxviii.  9),  In  contrast  with  the  young  ox,  six  sheep  and  one 
ram,  of  Ezek.  xlvi.  6 ;  Moses  enjoins  two  oxen  and  seven  sheep 
(Num.  xxviii.  11). 


THE    VISION    OP   THE    FUTURE.  253 

gates  througli  wliich  people  and  prince  are  to  enter 
and  leave  on  different  occasions;  so  apparently  trifling 
a  matter  seeming  weighty  to  a  mind  essentially  ritual- 
istic, like  that  of  Ezekiel.  The  eveninof  sacrifice  is  not 
mentioned,  and  the  regulations  for  that  of  each  morning 
differ  from  those  of  Moses.^  Even  the  cells  in  which  the 
priests  were  to  boil  and  bake  the  various  offerings  not 
burnt  on  the  altar,  are  described,  since  they  were  part 
of  the  Temple  arrangements.  Brief  laws  for  gifts  and 
inheritances,  granted  by  the  prince,  close  the  legislative 
portion  of  the  narrative,  so  strange  in  all  its  features. 

The  triumphant  return,  the  victory  over  all  enemies,  the 
glory  of  the  new  Temple,  the  laws  of  worship,  and  the  dig- 
nity of  the  future  Messiah  king  had  now  been  recounted. 
But  could  it  be  thought  that  the  new  Jerusalem, 
which  was  to  be  so  much  grander  than  the  old,  would 
be  allowed  to  stand  in  the  midst  of  a  district  bare  and 
waterless  like  the  territory  of  Judah,  especially  on  its 
eastern  side  ?  Nature  around  nmst  be  in  keeping  with 
so  much  glory.  The  sanctuary  was  to  be  in  the  noblest 
sense  the  earthly  habitation  of  Jehovah;  the  land  therefore 
in  which  it  stood  must  be  a  second  Paradise.  Hence,  as 
rich  streams  watered  Eden,  so,  here,  an  abundant  flood 
poured  forth  from  under  the  threshold  of  the  Temple, 
swelling  speedily  to  a  great  river  as  it  flowed  towards 
the  east,  the  Temple  itself  having  an  eastern  aspect. 
Dividing  ere  long  into  various  streams,^  like  the  river  of 
Paradise,  these  made  even  the  great  and  terrible  wilder- 
ness of  Judah  fruitful  and  lovely.  Emptying  themselves  at 
last  into  the  Dead  Sea,  they  sweetened  the  bitter  waters, 
and  filled  them  with  life,  so  that  thenceforward  fisher- 
men could  ply  their  trade   on  its  hitherto  lonely  shores. 

^  Num.  xxviii.  4,  5.     Ezek.  xlvi.  13.  14. 
-  Kzck.  xlviii.  9. 


254 


THE    VISION    OF   THE    FUTURE. 


Wherever  the  streams  reached,  fertility  and  life  would 
rise,  while  their  banks  on  both  sides  would  be  lined  with 
all  kinds  of  fruit  trees,  whose  leaf  never  faded,  and  from 
whose  branches  the  clusters  would  always  be  hanging, 
for  each  month  they  would  yield  new  crops,  while  their 
fruit  would  be  for  food,  and  their  very  leaves  for  heal- 
ing.i 

In  a  land,  the  most  barren 
parts  of  which  were  to  be  thus 
delightful,  the  Twelve  Tribes 
would  find  a  joyful  home ;  half 
of  them  occupying  the  land  to 
the  south  of  the  Temple,  and  half 
of  them  that  towards  the  north .^ 
The  thirsty  Negeb,  or  South 
Country,  as  well  as  the  terrible 
desert  of  Judah,  would  be  turned 
into  fertile  uplands. 

The  bounds  of  the  Holy  Land 
in  these  blissful  times  are  next 
described.  On  the  north  it  will 
reach  from  the  Mediterranean, 
south  of  Hamath  on  the  Orontes, 
to  the  Hauran  below  Damascus  ; 
on  the  east,  to  the  south  end 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  enclosing  Gilead  and  the  old  territory 
of  the  tribes  across  the  Jordan  ;  on  the  south  it  will 
stretch  from  "  Tamar,^^  somewhere  near  the  head  of  the 
Red  Sea,  to  Kadesh  in  the  Negeb,  and  thence,  on  to  the 
Mediterranean  ;  and  on  the  west,  from  this  point  "  till 
a  man  come  over  against  Hamath/''^  These  bounds,  it  is 
needless  to  say,  Israel  never  possessed  after  the  Return. 


Thb  Assyrian  Tree  of  Life. 


*  Kev.  xxii.  2. 


^  Ezek.  xlvii.  and  xlviii. 
»  Ezek.  xlvii.  20. 


THE   VISION    OF   THE    FUTURE.  255 

In  this  great  territory  the  Twelve  Tribes  were  to  bold 
portions  reaching,  in  each  case,  from  east  to  west,  across 
the  whole  land;  seven  of  them  on  the  north  of  the  section 
in  the  centre  of  the  land,  made  over  to  the  Temple,  the 
priests  and  the  prince;  the  rest  on  the  south  of  it. 
All,  moreover,  were  to  live  on  the  west  of  the  Jordan, 
though  of  old  only  nine  and  a  half  tribes  had  done  so. 
The  New  Jerusalem  was  to  be  4,500  -'  reeds,^'  or  9,000 
yards — a  little  over  five  miles — square,^  and  the  names 
of  its  twelve  gates  were  to  be  those  of  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel.^ 

This  abstract  is  in  itself  overwhelming  proof  that  the 
whole  wondrous  vision  is  only  the  picture  of  a  condition 
of  surpassing  glory,  expressed  in  imagery  peculiar  to  the 
prophet.  Ko  one  thinks  of  taking  the  almost  parallel 
visions  of  St.  John  in  the  Apocalypse  as  literal  descrip- 
tions. We  do  not  expect  to  see  the  holy  city,  the  New 
Jerusalem,  actually  coming  down  from  God,  out  of  heaven,^ 
nor  that  it  will  literally  be  foursquare,  with  walls  and 
gates  like  an  ancient  town,  nor  that  the  walls  will  be  over 
200  feet  high,  or  the  city  itself  1,500  miles  square,  or  that 
its  buildings  and  spires  will  rise  1,500  miles  into  the  air,'* 
and  yet  this  must  be  done,  if  the  description  is  to  be 
understood  otherwise  than  figuratively.  To  Ezekiel  and 
St.  John  alike,  the  only  aim  was  to  convey  the  highest 
conception  of  magnificence  as  each  imagined  it  most 
vividly  presented.  Living  in  the  age  of  Rome  and  great 
provincial  cities,  St.  John  thinks  of  a  New  Jerusalem 
such  as  he  describes.  Erabued  with  a  strongly  Jewish 
and  priestly  bias,  Ezekiel  sees  a  glorious  temple  rise 
before  him,  and  all  the   details   of  a  re-establishment  of 

^  Ezek.  xlviii.  30.  A  reed  =  6  cubits,  Dictionary  of  Bible,  Art. 
Eeed.  '  Rev.  xxi.  12. 

3  Rev.  xxi.  2-10.  "»  Rev.  xxi,  16. 


256  THE   VISION   OF   THE    FUTURE. 

tlie  Tlieocracy  in  Palestine,  with  transcendent  splendour. 
To  tlie  mind  of  St.  Jolm,  the  Temple  had  ceased  to  be  a 
central  religious  thought ;  in  that  of  Ezekiel,  the  priest, 
it  was  supreme.  In  both,  the  inspired  writer  is  left  free 
to  express  the  surpassing  glory  of  the  Messianic  age  in 
the  only  way  possible  to  his  modes  of  thought,  and  the 
ideas  of  his  age. 

Eecent  critics  have  sought  to  make  Ezekiel  the  father 
of  Judaism ;  but,  as  already  shown,  it  is  much  more 
correct  to  trace  it  to  King  Josiah.^  The  evidence  urged 
for  the  new  theory,  not  only  does  not  harmonize  with 
the  actual  facts,  but  is  distinctly  contrary  to  them. 
Whatever  seems  to  support  it  is  put  forward  prominently; 
whatever  tells  against  it,  is  at  once,  lightly  declared  unhis- 
torical.  The  narratives  of  the  Pentateuch  are  pronounced 
to  be  legends  of  the  time  of  the  Exile  or  later;  the 
genealogies  of  the  Books  of  Chronicles  mere  tricks  of  the 
priests;  the  historical  psalms  only  legends  thrown  into 
poetical  form,  though,  Ezekiel,  Esra,  and  Nehemiab,  who 
were  alive  when  these  legends  are  said  to  have  risen, 
treat  them  as  actual  events  well  known  in  the  distant 
history  of  the  nation.  It  is  easy  to  establish  any  theory 
if  one  deal  as  he  pleases  with  what  contradicts  it.  But 
to  do  so,  on  an  arbitrary  estimate  of  what  seems  reason- 
able to  a  biassed  critic,  is  unsafe  in  the  extreme;  for  one 
school  rejects  that  which  another,  not  less  entitled  to 
confidence,  accepts  as  trustworthy. 

The  supposition  of  the  new  school  is,  that  Ezekiel  having 
given  an  impulse  to  Judaism  by  his  writings,  it  was  de- 
veloped during  the  exile  in  Babylon,  by  unknown  writers, 
who  invented  the  system  now  found  in  Leviticus  and 
other  sections  of  the  Pentateuch,  and  palmed  them  oS.  on 
their  contemporaries  as  having  come  down  from  the  days 
1  Vol.  V.  p.  277. 


THE    VISION    OF   THE    FUTURE.  257 

of  Moses.  But  nothing  whatever  is  known  of  any  such 
ecclesiastical  forgers  having  ever  existed  in  Babylonia. 
The  whole  theory  is  a  mere  assumption,  supported  by 
not  even  a  tittle  of  historical  evidence.  Nor  is  this 
the  worst.  According  to  the  latest  advanced  critics,  the 
inventors  of  the  ''  Priestly  Torah,-*'  that  is,  of  the  Levitical 
legislation,  almost  as  a  whole,  commended  it  to  pubhc 
respect,  and  introduced  it  to  the  worship  of  God  and  the 
practice  of  daily  life,  as  of  Divine  origin,  while  they  knew 
it  was  not.  They  invented  the  whole  story  of  the  law- 
giving on  Mount  Sinai,  the  construction  of  the  Tabernacle, 
the  separation  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  to  the  priesthood,  of  the 
conquest  of  Eastern  Palestine,  and  much  else,  to  induce 
the  people  to  accept  as  laws  given  directly  from  heaven, 
more  than  a  thousand  years  before,  what  they  had  them- 
selves secretly  concocted  in  Babylon !  The  latest  historian^ 
of  Israel,  indeed,  carries  this  so  far,  as  to  pronounce 
the  whole  narrative  of  the  stay  in  Egypt,  the  Exodus,  the 
wilderness  sojourn,  the  existence  of  the  Tabernacle,  the 
conquest  of  Eastern  Palestine,  the  record  of  Joshua,  that 
of  the  Judges,  and  even  that  of  Saul,  mere  worthless 
legends  of  late  date,  which  he  passes  over  with  con- 
temptuous silence  ! 

This  "  Priestly  Torah,"  invented  in  Babylon,  was  brought, 
we  are  told,  to  Palestine,  on  the  return  from  Captivity, 
and  having  been  read  aloud  to  the  people,  was  accepted 
by  them,  though  hitherto  entirely  unknown,  as  the  ancient 
religious  law  of  the  nation,  observed  by  their  fathers. 
But,  supposing  so  gigantic  an  imposition  on  a  bigoted  and 
ultra-conservative  race  in  any  case  possible,  we  should 
expect  that  it  would  be  specially  prominent  in  books 
like  those  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  who  were  most  ex- 
acting in  ritual,  and  that  allusions  to  it  would  abound 
*  Stade,  Geschichte  des  Volkes  Israel. 

VOL.   VI.  8 


258 


THE    VISION    OP    THE    FUTUEE. 


in  their  pages.  On  the  contrary,  however,  we  nowhere 
find  it  mentioned.  The  covenant  to  which  the  returned 
exiles  bound  themselves  has  no  connection,  strange  to 
say,  with  ceremonial  law,  but  pledges  them,  as  its  great 
points,  to  abstain  from  marriage  with  others  than  their 
own  race,  and  to  keep  the  Sabbath,^  duties  enforced  by 
laws  which  confessedly  do  not  belong  to  the  so-called 
"  Priestly  Torah  "  at  all,  but  to  the  earliest  days  of  Jewish 
history. 

*  Exod.  xxxiv. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


AT   BABYLON. 


AMONG  the  captives  led  off  from  Judea  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, in  B.C.  605,  immediately  after  liis  great 
victory  over  the  Egyptians  at  Carchemish,  were  a  num- 
ber of  youths  of  the  best  Jewish  families,  transferred  to 
Babylon  for  service  at  court ;  it  may  be,  in  compliment 
to  members  of  the  Chaldean  party  in  Jerusalem,  or, 
possibly,  as  hostages  for  the  good  behaviour  of  the  city. 
Among  these  was  the  future  prophet  Daniel,^  of  un- 
known, but  evidently  illustrious  origin.  He  first  comes 
before  us  while  still  in  his  opening  prime,  but  even 
then  is  marked  not  only  by  his  physical  beauty  and  intel- 
ligence, but  even  more  strikingly  by  his  strength  of 
character^  and  religious  fervour  and  sincerity.  Exile  in 
his  case,^  and  in  that  of  others  of  his  class,  was,  in  reality, 
the  highest  good  fortune,  giving  them  an  opening  in  life 

^  "  One  who  judges  in  the  name  of  God."  ^  Dan.  i.  3. 

3  The  year  is  given  in  Dan.  i.  1,  as  the  third  of  Jehoiakim. 
But  in  Jer,  xxv.  1,  the  fourth  year  of  Jehoiakim  is  stated  to  have 
been  the  first  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  he  is  said  to  have  defeated 
Pharaoh  ISTecho  at  Carchemish  in  that  year  (Jerem.  xlvi.  2). 
Delitzsch  explains  the  apparent  contradiction  by  referring  to 
2  Kings  xxiv,  1,  from  which  he  understands  that  the  third  year 
of  Jehoiakim  means  tlie  third  year  of  his  vassalage  to  Nebu- 

259 


260  AT   BABYLON. 

at  the  court  of  the  greatest  monarch  of  the  age,  and 
under  his  special  favour. 

The  kings  of  Assyria  and  Babylon,  in  order  the  more 
easily  to  govern  their  subjects  of  different  races  and  lan- 
guages, were  accustomed  to  select  from  the  captives  or 
hostages  of  each  nation,  young  men  of  noble  birth,^ 
and  bring  them  up  in  the  royal  palace,  where  they  were 
put  in  charge  of  the  chief  of  the  eunuchs,  ^  and  received 

chadnezzar  {Herzog,  2  be  Auf.,  art.  Daniel).  Dan.  i.  1  is  held  by 
Zockler  and  Delitzsch  as  noting  the  time  when  the  campaign 
began,  which  ended,  next  year,  in  the  submission  of  Jerusalem. 
In  the  third  year  the  Chaldean  army  was  set  in  motion,  in  the 
fourth,  the  battle  of  Carchemish  opened  the  way  to  Palestine,  and 
then  followed  the  march  to  it,  all  during  the  reign  of  Nabopo- 
lassar,  Nebuchadnezzar's  father.  Herzog,  Ite  Auf.,  art.  Daniel. 
Zockler's  Daniel,  p.  28.     Keil's  Einleitung,  p.  410. 

The  reckoning  of  the  years  of  a  reign,  it  should  be  remembered, 
is  often  different.  Queen  Victoria  ascended  the  throne  in  June, 
1837,  but  was  not  crowned  till  June,  1838.  Her  reign  might  be 
counted  from  either  date,  if  custom  allowed,  and  it  may  have  been 
thus  in  Palestine.  Further,  1838  might  be  called  either  the  first 
or  second  year  of  her  reign,  according  to  the  months  intended. 
Up  to  June  it  was  the  first  year ;  after  that  it  was  the  second. 
In  the  Spealcer's  Commentary  the  dates  are  harmonised  as  follows : 
Expedition  against  Pharaoh  Necho,  twentieth  year  of  Nabopo- 
lassar  =  second  of  Jehoiakim.  Battle  of  Carchemish,  twenty-first 
of  Nabopolassar,  third  of  Jehoiakim.  Pursuit  of  Necho,  first 
year  of  Nebuchadnezzar  =  fourth  year  of  Jehoiakim. 

^  "  Princes "  (Dan.  i.  3).  The  word  thus  translated  is  not 
Hebrew,  but  from  the  Sanscrit,  and  shows  a  time  and  place  where 
there  was  contact  between  the  Semitic  and  Aryan  races,  as  in 
the  case  of  Babylon  with  Media  and  Persia.  It  occurs  here,  and 
twice  in  Esther. 

2  Ashpenaz  is  equivalent  to  Assu-ibni-Tir  ("  The  Lady  Istar, 
the  goddess,  formed  him  in  the  womb").  Such  a  name  speaks 
for  itself  as  only  possible  while  Istar  was  yet  honoured — that 
is,  while  Babylon  still  flourished.  Lenormant's  La  Divination, 
p.  183. 


AT    BABYLON. 


2G1 


the  highest  education  the  age  afforded.  Thus  in  the 
inscriptions  of  Sennacherib,  we  accidentally  learn  that 
he  had  such  a  school  in  his  palace  at  Nineveh^  for  the 
children  of  nobles  of  his  foreign  provinces.  ''  Belibus/^ 
he  tells  us,  "  of  the  race  of  Babylon,  who  had  been 
brought  up  from  early  childhood  in  my  palace,  was  set 
by  me  over  the  kingdom  of  the  Sumirs  and  Accadians."-^ 
This  custom  of  the  kings  of  Assyria  and  Babylon,  thus 
illustrated  by  the  inscriptions  of  Nineveh,  till  these  re- 
cords came  to  light,  was  known  to  us  only  from  the  Book 
of  Daniel,  the  exact  local  colouring  of  which  in  this 
instance,  as  in  so  many  others,  is  so  singularly  vin- 
dicated by  the  testimony  of  contemporary  documents. 
A  similar  practice  in  Turkey,  while  still  a  conquering 
power,  has  been  noticed  by  various  travellers.  The 
pages  of  the  seraglio,  the  officers  of  court,  and  most  of 
the  public  functionaries  and  local  governors,  were  drawn 
from  a  body  of  Christian  youths  taken  captive  in  war, 
or  bought  as  slaves.  The  finest  and  cleverest  were  sent 
to  the  palace,  and  put  in  charge  of  the  chief  of  the  white 
eunuchs,  though  they  themselves  were  not  mutilated. 
Schools  were  provided,  at  which  they  received  the  best 
education  the  country  could  give,  including  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  Turkish  in  its  greatest  purity.  Their  food 
was  carefully  prescribed,  and  they  wore  a  special  dress 
as  cadets  in  the  royal  service.  Guardians  watched  them 
night  and  day,  and  reported  on  their  conduct  and  attain- 
ments, by  which  their  future  advancement  was  deter- 
mined.^     A  curious   proof  of  similar   arrangements    at 

1  Cylinder  of  Bellino,  i.  13.  Smith's  Sennacherib,  p.  27. 
Smith's  History  of  Assyria,  p.  111.  Becords  of  the  Past,  vol.  i. 
p.  23. 

2  Habesci's  Ottoman  Empire,  and  Tavernier's  Relation,  etc., 
quoted  in  Pict.  Bible,  vol.  iii.  p.  213. 


262 


AT    BABYLON. 


Nineveli  and  Babylon  has  come  to  light  in  the  examina- 
tion of  the  clay  tablets  brought  in  vast  numbers  from 
the  library  of  Assurbanipal  of  Nineveh.  They  are  found 
to  have  been  mainly  intended  for  the  use  of  the  masters 
and  pupils  of  the  palace  school,  where  the  youth  of  both 
sexes  were  trained  for  the  royal  service.  A  large  pro- 
portion of  them  consists  of  syllabaries,  grammars,  dic- 
tionaries, histories,  geographies,  and  scientific   manuals. 

Even  the  exer- 
cises and  tasks 
of  the  scholars 
have  in  some 
cases  been  re- 
covered ;  one 
tablet  among 
others  contain- 
ing the  lesson 
for  a  young 
princess  in  As- 
syrian reading 
and  spelling.^ 
It  was  indeed 
no  light  matter 
to  become  an  adept  even  in  the  living  language  of  Assyria 
or  Babylon,  with  its  multitudinous  combinations  of  arrow- 
headed  or  wedge-shaped  characters,  difierent  pronuncia- 
tions of  which  gave  wholly  different  meanings  to  the  same 
word.  But  another  language,  the  Accadian,  which  had 
long  ceased  to  be  spoken,  needed  to  be  thoroughly 
mastered,  to  acquire  a  liberal  education,  all  the  venerable 
treatises  on  the  gods,  on  science,  and  on  magic,  being 
preserved  in  it  alone.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  "  language  of 
the  Chaldeans/^  ^  and  Daniel,  as  a  student,  had  specially 
*  It  is  in  the  British  Museum.  ^  pj^j^  ^  4^  17 


CuNEiFOHM  iNSCEiPTioif. — Wavka. 


AT   BABYLON. 


263 


to  apply  himself  to  it;  the  '^Chaldean  language''  of 
Bible  times,^  used  in  parts  of  the  Book  of  Daniel  itself,^ 
being  then  known  as  Aramean. 

The  illustrations  of  "  Daniel ''  from  the  monuments 
and  tablets,  are  numerous.  Thus,  the  change  of  name 
given  to  the  young  prophet  and  his  companions  on 
entering  the  palace  school,  was  in  accordance  with  the 
custom  of  the  age.  Psammetichus,  the  famous  king  of 
Egypt,  when  living  in 
Nineveh,  had  an  As- 
syrian name  given 
him  by  Assurbanipal.^ 
Similarly,  that  of 
Daniel  was  changed 
to  Balatsu-usur  or 
Belteshazzar,  ''(Bel) 
protect  his  life,''  and 
that  of  one  of  his  com- 
panions from  Azariah 
to  Abed-nebo — "  the 
servant  of  (the  god) 
Nebo,"'*  which  frequently  occurs  in  Assyrian  docu- 
ments. ^  Shadrach  and  Meshach,  his  other  associates, 
have  had  their  names  so  cbansred  in  the  Hebrew  trans- 


AnCIENT   HiBRiTIC,   OB   SACKED    WkITIXG. 

Warka. 


^  The  use  of  the  word  "  Chaldeans,"  as  equivalent  to  "  wise 
men,"  is  unknown  in  the  Assyrian  or  Babylonian  inscriptions 
and  records.  It  rose  only  after  the  destruction  of  the  Babylonian 
empire.     Scbrader,  Keilinschriften,  2te  Auf.,  1882,  p.  429. 

2  Dan.  ii.  4,  12. 

3  Lenormant,  Lettres  Assyriologiques,  vol.  i.  p.  56.  Oppert, 
Memoires  de  VAcademie  des  Inscriptions,  etc.,  etc.  8  partie, 
vol.  i.  p.  595.     The  name  was  Xabii-Sezibanni. 

4  K.  I.,  2te  Auf.  (1882),  p.  430.     Abedne^/o  should  be  Abedne&o. 
'  La  Divination,  p.  182.      The  dignitary  called  "  chief  of  the 

eunuchs,"  had  under  him  an  official  called  "  the  Melzar  "  (Da.  in. 


264  AT   BABYLON. 

cription  as  to  obscure  their  original  form,  but  we  bave 
the  authority  of  so  competent  a  scholar  as  Lenormant 
for  saying  that  "  all  these  names,  when  not  altered 
beyond  recovery  by  the  errors  of  copyists,  are  strictly 
Babylonian,  and  could  not  have  been  invented  in  Palestine 
in  the  second  century  before  Christ/'  the  date  to  which 
the  composition  of  the  Book  of  Daniel  is  sometimes  re- 
ferred. 

Three  years  spent  in  the  training  school  of  the  palace 
sufficed  to  advance  Daniel  to  high  proficiency  in  the 
'^  wisdom  '^  of  the  day.  In  one  point,  however,  he 
steadily  resisted  the  influences  around  him.  It  was 
taken  for  granted  that  he  and  his  companions  would 
adopt  the  religion  of  Babylon ;  but  nothing  could  induce 
him  to  abandon  the  faith  of  his  fathers,  even  in  a  matter 
so  subordinate  as  its  prescriptions  respecting  food.  As 
a  high  honour,  the  palace-school  cadets  were  supplied 
from  the  royal  table ;  but  Daniel  and  his  companions 
shrank  from  eating  or  drinking  anything  "  unclean ''  in 
itself,  or  from  having  been  consecrated  to  idols.  This 
made  it  impossible  for  them  to  touch  anything  brought 
from  the  table  of  the  king,  all  the  food  or  drink  on 
which  was  first  dedicated  to  the  gods,  by  the  ofi'er- 
ing  of  part  of  it  on  their  altars.^  At  the  risk  of  life, 
therefore,  they  would  not  taste  such  viands.  Men, 
even  in  their  youth  so  bravely  faithful  to  their  con- 
sciences, could  not  fail  one  day  to  rouse  the  nation  to 
a  new  religious  life,  by  the  quickening  power  of  their 
example. 

11),  and  both  are  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Assyrian  tablets. 
"  The  Melzar,"  seems  to  have  been  the  chief  butler.  Lenormant, 
pp.  196-7. 

^  Keil,  Daniel,  p.  64.  The  laws  of  Levitical  purity  were  thus 
known  before  the  Exile,  not  invented  after  it,  as  the  new  critics 
affirm. 


AT   BABYLON.  265 

The  city  in  which  Daniel  thus  found  himself,  was  the 
greatest  in  the  ancient  world.  Herodotus,  who  visited 
it  about  B.C.  450,  within  a  century  after  the  departure 
of  the  Hebrews,  while  its  walls  and  buildings  were  still 
perfect,  describes  it  as  forming  a  square  of  nearly  four- 
teen miles  on  each  side.^  Others-  give  a  different 
measurement,  but  the  smallest  leaves  a  space  of  over 
ten  miles  square  within  the  walls,  which  is  four  times 
more  than  that  covered  by  intramural  Paris,  and  fully 
twice  as  great  as  the  size  of  London  within  the  bills  of 
mortality. 

The  greatness  of  Babylon  was  largely  due  to  its  posi- 
tion. Built  on  a  broad  and  level  shelf  of  tertiary  rock, 
which  spread  cut  from  under  the  rich  soil  of  the  wide 
plains,  the  last  trace  of  the  northern  hill  system,  it 
enjoyed  a  healthy  and  secure  site,  even  amidst  the  peri- 
odical inundations  around.  Defended  on  the  south  by 
the  broad  waters  of  the  united  Euphrates  and  Tigris, 
which  ere  long  widened  into  those  of  the  Persian  Gulf, 
then  reaching  much  farther  north  than  at  present,  the 
wide  stretches  of  the  desert  protected  it  on  all  other  sides. 
High  prosperity,  also,  was  secured  by  its  position,  for  it 
stood  on  the  great  line  of  trade  between  the  Mediter- 
ranean and  the  East,  at  the  point  where  the  Euphrates 
contracts,  from  a  broad  expanse,  to  the  full  current  of 
a  deep  and  magnificent  stream,  bearing  down  to  the 
wharves  of  the  great  city  the  wealth  of  the  north,  as  the 
waters  on  the  south  bore  from  the  ocean  that  of  India, 
and  Africa.  There  was  no  stone  for  its  mansions  and 
houses,  but  the  deep  clay  of  the  plains  was    easily  made 

*  Herod.,  i.  178 ;  120  stadia  on  each  side. 

«  Strabo,  xvi.  1,  §  5.  Q.  Curtius,  Vit.  Alex.  Mag..,  v.  1.  CUtarchus, 
in  Diod.  Sic,  xi.  7,  §  3.  Ebers  gives  the  circuit  of  Babylon  as 
more  than  45  miles,     ^^g.  Kdnigstocliter,  vol.  ii.  p.  16. 


266  AT    BABYLON. 

into   sun-dried  bricks,  and   the   bitumen  of  tbe  north, 
brought  down  the  river,  supplied  cement. 

The  walls  of  this  gigantic  hive  of  men  were  in  keep- 
ing with  the  vast  limits  they  enclosed.  Rising  out  of 
great  moats  on  every  side,  they  towered,  in  the  opinion 
of  Herodotus  and  others,  three  hundred  feet  into  the 
air,^  while  their  breadth  was  such  that  chariots  with  four 
horses  could  pass  each  other  on  the  wide  top,^  which  was 
said  to  have  been  fully  eighty  feet  across.  Such  a  won- 
drous girdle  of  defence  from  the  tribes  of  the  desert  or 
more  civilized  enemies,  must  have  involved  an  almost 
inconceivable  amount  of  labour.  Constructed  of  burnt 
bricks,  alternating  with  layers  of  reeds  to  bind  them  to- 
gether, and  cemented  with  bitumen,  the  walls  contained, 
without  including  250  towers  which  rose  above  them,  not 
less  than  5,560,000,000  square  feet,  and  were  built  up 
of  at  least  three  times  that  number  of  the  largest  bricks 
used  by  the  Babylonians.^  A  hundred  gates  with  their 
great  posts,  leaves,  and  sills,  of  brass,  and  their  bars 
of  iron,  permitted  entrance  to  the  city.*     There  were  also 

*  Diod.  Sic,  following  Ctesias,  adopts  the  estimate  of  Herodotus. 
Others  speak  of  them  as  bub  255  or  even  bub  75  feet  high,  but 
this  last  account  was  taken  from  their  appearance  long  after  the 
city  had  become  a  ruin.  Herod.,  i.  178.  Diod.  Sic,  ii.  7,  §  3. 
Plin.  H.  K,  vi.  26.  Straho,  xvi.  1,  §  5.  See  Jer.  li.  58.  Ebers 
thinks  however  that  75  feet  was  the  full  height  when  the  walls 
were  perfect.     JEg.  Konigstocliter. 

2  It  is  possible  that  slanting  ascents  made  it  practicable  to  drive 
chariots  to  the  top,  where  a  parapet  protected  the  sides.  Such 
a  slope  is  used  inside  the  church  of  St.  Sophia,  at  Constantinople, 
to  reach  the  galleries. 

3  Canon  Eawlinson  computes  that  18,765,000,000  of  the  largest 
bricks  would  be  needed.  Expositor,  1883,  p.  349.  Ebers  says  that 
these  walls  were  a  greater  wonder  than  even  the  Pyramids,  ^g. 
Konigstocliter,  vol.  ii.  p.  16. 

*  See  Isa.  xlv.  2. 


AT    BABYLON.  267 

inner  walls  on  each  side  of  the  river,  with  huge  gates 
at  the  end  of  each  of  the  broad  and  wide  streets  which 
ran  towards  the  stream,  alongside  which  handsome  quays 
stretched  out  for  trade  and  embellishment.  A  ferry-boat 
plied  across  the  river  from  each  gate ;  and  a  drawbridge, 
raised  at  night,  offered  further  accommodation  to  the 
citizens.  Inside  this  space  the  ordinary  houses  of  the  in- 
habitants rose,  in  many  cases,  three  or  four^  storeys  high; 
but  they  sank  into  insignificance  when  compared  with 
the  great  palace- quarter  of  the  kings,  which  itself  was  a 
city  seven  miles  round.  Three  or  four  vast  buildings 
stood  within  its  enclosure,^  the  wall  of  which  Herodotus 
tells  us  was  "  very  little  inferior  in  strength  '^  to  that  of 
the  city  itself.^  The  size  of  the  royal  dwellings  may  be 
judged  from  the  fact  that  the  mound  from  which  one  of 
them  towered  up  covers  thirty-seven  acres,*  while  another, 
still  known  as  the  Kasr,  or  '^  Palace,"  is  800  yards  long 
by  600  yards  broad. ^  Near  the  centre  of  this  gigantic 
platform,  which,  though  seventy  feet  high,  was  only 
the  artificial  terrace  on  which  the  vast  fabric  stood,  a 
fragment  of  the  palace  itself  still  rises.  Walls,  piers, 
and  buttresses  of  brick  masonry,  wonderfully  preserved, 
and  in  some  parts  adorned  with  pilasters,  still  help  to 
bring  before  us  perhaps  the  very  building  in  which 
Daniel  spent  his  best  years;  but  the  ruins  are  too  frag- 
mentary to  yield  any  clue  to  the  plan  of  the  structure 
as  a  whole.  It  doubtless,  however,  contained  a  labyrinth 
of  courts,  great  halls,  galleries  and  smaller  chambers, 
gorgeous  with  colours,  or  lined  with  sculptures  or  paint- 
ings, of  scenes  of  war  and  of  the  chase.^     Even  the  out- 

*  Herod.,  i.  180.         -  Oppert  says  four.         ^  Herod.,  i.  181. 

*  Oppert,  Expedition  scientifigue,  vol.  i.  p.  157. 

^  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  880  yards  are  half  a  mile. 

*  Ezek.  xxxii.  14.,  15. 


268 


AT   BABYLON. 


AT   BABYLON.  269 

side  walls,  indeed,  were  resplendent  with  the  brightest 
colours,  countless  fragments  of  their  bricks  still  re- 
maining covered  with  a  thick  enamel,  over  brilliant  blue, 
red,  yellow,  and  black. ^ 

The  palace  gardens  were  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
world.  Nebuchadnezzar  had  married  a  Median  princess, 
and  thinking  that  she  sighed  for  her  native  mountains 
when  looking  out  on  the  dull  level  of  the  Babylonian 
plains,  resolved  to  beguile  her  of  her  longing  for  home, 
and  at  the  same  time  show  how  much  he  loved  her,  by 
commanding  that  wooded  hills  should  be  created  in  the 
''paradise'^  of  her  palace.  Arch  upon  arch  of  masonry 
forthwith  rose  like  a  pyramid,  to  the  height  of  400  feet, 
over  a  square  of  equal  size  each  way,  as  the  frame-work  of 
a  vast  accumulation  of  artificial  mounds  and  hills  of  earth, 
on  which  waved  forest  trees  of  huge  diameter,  transplanted 
in  their  full  glory,  and  thickets  of  flowering  shrubs,  in- 
terspersed with  cool  chambers,  royally  furnished,  at  suc- 
cessive heights.  To  make  the  charm  complete,  flowing 
streams  glided  along  each  terrace  and  sparkled  down 
every  slope,  amongst  the  groves  and  woods ;  the  water 
for  them  being  raised  to  the  summits  by  hydraulic 
machinery.^ 

^  Layard,  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  p.  507. 

^  Opperb  considers  the  Mound  Amran — now  an  irregular  mass, 
642  yards  long  on  one  side,  330  on  the  other,  and  433  broad — is 
what  remains  of  the  lianging  gardens.  For  notices  of  these 
gardens,  see  Ebers,  ^g.  Kdnigsto elder,  vol.  i.  p.  121;  vol.  ii. 
p.  250.  The  mound  known  as  the  Kasr,  or  Palace,  stretches  2,400 
feet  long,  and  1,800  broad,  along  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates. 
This  amazing  heap  of  accumulated  earth,  Ebers  seems  to  think 
the  site  of  the  gardens,  as  well  as  of  the  palace.  On  the  north 
side  of  this  artificial  hill,  a  lonely  tamarisk  still  looks  down  on 
the  river,  a  very  old  and  thick  bodied  tree.  The  Arabs  say  it  is 
the  only  tree  that  remains  of  the  hanging  gaidens  of  Semiramis 


270  AT   BABYLON. 

But  the  most  amazing  of  all  the  wonders  of  Babylon 
was  the  great  temple  of  Bel,  described  already  in  the 
first  volume  of  these  ^'  Hours."  ^  No  religious  structure, 
of  ancient  or  modern  times,  has  ever  rivalled  the  grandeur 
of  this  primeval  sanctuary,  which  rose  like  a  mountain 
from  the  level  of  the  country  round.  In  its  treasuries 
the  spoils  of  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  and  much  besides, 
had  been  laid  up  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  as  an  offering  of 
gratitude  to  his  chief  god,  for  victory  over  his  enemies. 
He  little  thought  that  he  was  unconsciously  preserving 
the  sacred  vessels  of  Israel  in  a  safe  and  inviolable  strong- 
hold, till  the  day  when  Jehovah  would  bring  about  their 
restoration  to  His  people. 

This  mighty  city  Nebuchadnezzar  boasted  to  have 
virtually  created.  It  was  the  ^'  great  Babylon  which  he 
had  built."  ^  Nor  was  he  without  good  grounds  for 
the  haughty  vaunt.  Proofs  of  its  substantial  truth  still 
abound.  The  great  new  palace,  he  tells  us,^  was  entirely 
built  by  him,  and  so  also,  ancient  writers  inform  us,  were 
the  famous  *^  hanging  gardens; ''  and  the  bricks  of  the 
Kasr  are  all  stamped  with  his  name.  He  relates  that  he 
carefully  repaired  the  old  palace,  and  enlarged  and 
thoroughly  renewed  the  vast  ancient  reservoir  of  the 
city.  Inscribed  bricks  confirm  his  own  statement  that 
he,  in  effect,  rebuilt  the  great  temple  of  Bel,*  and  he 
names  eight  other  temples  which  he  either  built  or 
restored.     But  his  greatest  work  was  the  reconstruction 

Duncker,  Gesch.  des  AUerthums,  vol.  i.  p.  672.  Diodorus  says  that 
the  gardens  rose  like  the  stages  or  steps  of  a  theatre.  Layard 
found  a  basrelief  with  a  picture  of  a  garden  supported  on  pillars. 
Nineveh  and  Babylon,  p.  223. 

»  See  vol.  i.  pp.  274-279.  ^  pan.  iv.  30. 

*  Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  v.  pp.  130, 131. 

*  Ibid.,  vol.  V.  p.  119. 


AT    BABYLON.  271 

of  the  gigantic  walls  of  the  city,  which  were  in  ruins  when 
he  ascended  the  throne.  ^'Imgur-Bel  and  Nimiti-Bel, 
the  great  double  wall  of  Babylon/'  says  he,  "  I  built.  I 
completed  buttresses,  to  embank  its  moat,  and  I  made 
two  long  embankments  of  brick  and  cement  along  the 
sides  of  the  river,  joining  them  with  the  one  made  by  my 
father.  I  strengthened  the  city,  and  built  the  wall  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  with  brick.''  ^  "I  raised  the 
walls  of  the  fortress  of  Babylon,  its  defence  in  war,  and 
skilfully  strengthened  the  circuit  of  the  city." 

Nor  was  Nebuchadnezzar's  amazing  energy,  as  the 
restorer  of  Babylon,  confined  to  the  city.  He  excavated 
two  broad  and  deep  canals,  one  of  them  uniting  the 
Tigris  with  the  Euphrates,  and  threw  a  great  bridge 
over  the  latter,  to  connect  the  two  halves  of  the  city.  At 
Sippara  he  dug  a  huge  reservoir,  said  to  have  been  a 
hundred  and  forty  miles  in  circumference  and  a  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  deep,  providing  floodgates  by  which  its 
waters  might  be  drawn  off  at  will  for  irrigation.  A  great 
canal,  of  which  traces  are  still  visible,  was  dug  by  him 
from  Hit,  on  the  Euphrates,  to  the  Persian  Gulf,  a 
distance  of  400  miles,  and  quays  and  breakwaters  rose  at 
its  mouth,  at  his  command,  to  receive  the  commerce  of 
distanb  lands.  A  city  was  founded  by  him  on  the  coast, 
to  repel  the  Arabs.  At  Borsippa,  besides  building  five 
other  temples,  he  restored  the  temple  of  Nebo— identified 
by  some  with  the  Tower  of  Babel — and  now  the  mightiest 
ruin  in  Mesopotamia.  Bricks  bearing  his  name  are 
found  over  the  whole  country ;  at  least  a  hundred  sites 
in  the  district  immediately  round  Babylon  thus  showing 
that  they  owed  their  chief  glory  to  him.  Indeed,  nine- 
tenths  of  the  bricks  brought  from  Mesopotamia  bear 
his  name.  The  creator  of  the  later  empire  of  Babylon, 
*  Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  v.  p.  125. 


272  AT    BABYLON. 

he  was  also  the  author  of  its  architectural  splendour. 
He  must  be  regarded  as  the  greatest  builder  of  ancient 
or  modern  times.^ 

In  the  magnificence  of  Babylon  and  its  palaces  Daniel 
and  his  companions  passed  their  days — amidst  lofty 
pyramid  temples  reflecting  every  colour  from  their 
ascending  stages;  houses,  far  and  near,  painted  in 
bright  tints  at  the  pleasure  of  their  owners,  surrounded 


A  Geove  ov  Palms. 

by  groves  of  gigantic  palms  and  many  other  trees ;  the 
soft  green  of  open  parks,  and  the  verdure  of  gardens. 
Outside  the  walls,  countless  silvery  canals,  shaded  with 
trees,  threaded  the  landscape  amidst  broad  plains  waviug 
with  corn,  or  teeming  with  the  richness  of  varied  crops.  ^ 

^  Rawlinson's  Anc.  Monarchies,  vol.  iii.  p.  489  ;  Pusey's  Daniel, 
p.  119. 

2  For  a  fine  description  of  the  Babylonian  landscape,  see  Ebers, 
^g.  Konigstocliter,  \o\.  ii.  p.  2. 


AT    BABYLON.  273 

The  pomp  and  splendour  of  such  a  city  and  such  a 
monarchy  must  have  amazed  the  Hebrew  exiles.  We 
know  from  the  prophets  the  wealth  of  its  commerce, 
which  implies  the  luxury  and  magnificence  of  its  merchant 
princes.  Its  *' chariots  like  whirlwinds/'  its  "horses 
swifter  than  eagles/'  its  horsemen  and  charioteers,  its 
infantry,  with  spear  and  helmet  and  shining  armour, 
made  its  army  the  finest  in  the  world.  At  Nebuchad- 
nezzar's receptions  Daniel  must  often  have  gazed  with 
wonder  on  the  state  and  glory  of  the  crowd  of  satraps, 
captains,  pachas,  chief  judges,  treasurers,  counsellors,  and 
rulers  of  provinces,^  in  gorgeous  uniforms  and  magni- 
ficent robes — worthy  of  the  greatness  of  the  State  they 
served. 

As  became  so  mighty  a  capital,  the  science  of  the  day 
found  its  headquarters  in  Babylon.  Of  this,  magic  and 
divination  formed  a  prominent  feature,  and  engrossed  the 
studies  of  a  special  body  of  scholars.  Hundreds  of  tablets 
yet  remain,  showing  the  exorcisms,  charms,  talismans,  and 
astrological  forms  in  vogue.  Observatories  crowned  the 
summits  of  most  of  the  pyramid  temples,  and  reports  from 
them,  regularly  sent  to  Court,  were  supposed  to  enable 
the  initiated  to  predict  the  future,  in  nature,  politics,  and 
private  life.^  Various  orders  of  these  religio-scientific 
dignitaries  are  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Daniel — the 
chartumim,  who  were  perhaps  the  sacred  scribes,  and 
seem  to  have  been  also  interpreters  of  omens,^  or  "  re- 
vealers  of  secret  things ;  "  *  the  ashaphim,  or  mutterers 

»  Dan.  iii.  3,  27. 

2  Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  i.  pp.  153-157,  158-161. 

3  Ebers,  ^g.  it.  d.  Biicher  Mosis,  p.  341. 

"»  Harkary,  in  Journ.  Asiat.,  1870,  p.  168.  Chartumim  (ma- 
gicians), Dan.  i.  20,  seems  to  be  a  Hebrew^  word,  from  Cheret,  a 
stylus,  or  ancient  pen. 

VOL.    VI.  ^  T 


274  AT  BABYLON. 

of  magic  spells;^  the  mechsaphim/^  mutterers  of  other 
kinds  of  spells, — men,  apparently  professing  to  have 
power  Tvith  evil  spirits ;  the  Chasdim  or  "  Chaldeans/^^ 
who  were  the  astrologers  or  interpreters  of  the  bearing 
of  the  stars  on  human  affairs,  Chaldea  being  the  father- 
land of  the  science ;  ^  the  Hahamim,^  or  "  magi,"  or 
"  wise  men,"  including,  apparently,  all  the  preceding 
classes,  and  the  gazeri'm^ — perhaps  another  name  for  the 
astrologers,  since  the  word  means  the  casting  of  horo- 
scopes, and  reading  the  supposed  influence  of  the  stars 
and  planets  on  the  fate  of  individuals  and  kingdoms. 
The  ''  wisdom  "  of  these  classes  was  the  boast  of  Baby- 
lonia. It  was  in  such  studies  that  Daniel,  after  his 
palace-education,  on  being  brought  before  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, himself  an  adept  in  all  these  matters,  was  found 
better  skilled  than  any  member  of  the  various  orders.'' 

Examples  of  the  importance  attached  to  dreams,  in  anti- 
quity, have  frequently  come  before  us  in  earlier  volumes,^ 
and  will  naturally  occur  to  every  student  of  Scripture. 
That  of  Assurbanipal,^  of  Assyria,  quoted  in  volume  five,^^ 
from  his  inscriptions,  shows  the  profound  agitation  into 

*  In  Syriac  it  is  applied  to  those  "who  charm  scorpions  and 
serpents  by  whispering.  It  is  a  Heb.  and  also  a  Chald.  word.  It 
is  rendered  "  astrologers,"  Dan.  i.  20.  The  gate  of  the  temple  of 
Bel  was  called  Bab  Assaput, — "the  gate  of  the  oracle,"  and  there 
was  a  chamber  in  the  temple  called  Bit  Assapur,  "the  house  of 
the  oracle."    Lenormant,  La  Divination,  pp.  133-4. 

2  Dan.  ii.  2.     "  Sorcerers."  ^  Dan.  ii.  2. 

*  Gesenius,  Jes.,  vol.  ii.  p.  349.  Egypt  may  perhaps  dispute  the 
honour. 

5  Dan.  ii.  14.  ^  j)an.  ii.  27.     "  Soothsayers." 

^  Dan.  i.  20.  On  the  religious  ideas  of  the  Babylonians,  see 
vol.  i.  pp.  304,  311.  8  Pp.  127-139. 

^  For  the  importance  of  dreams  among  the  Egyptians,  see 
vol.  i.  pp.  462-3 ;  among  the  Ethiopians,  vol.  v.  p.  81 ;  among 
the  Assyrians,  vol.  v.  p.  86.  ^"  Yol.  v.  p.  86. 


AT   BABYLON.  275 

which  even  the  most  powerful  minds  were  cast,  in  those 
ages,  from  such  phenomena  of  sleep,  so  little  regarded  in 
our  own  day.  It  is  therefore  strictly  in  keeping  with 
what  might  be  expected,  to  read  of  similar  alarm  and 
anxiety  having  been  caused  to  Nebuchadnezzar  by 
such  a  visitation.  In  the  second,  or  according  to  some 
readings,  the  twelfth  year  of  his  reign,^  the  sleep  of  the 
Great  King,  we  are  told,  was  troubled  by  a  dream,  all 
recollection  of  which  had  fled  when  he  awoke.  The 
whole  staff  of  diviners,  astrologers,  and  magi,  were  sum- 
moned forthwith  to  the  palace,  that  by  spells  and  con- 
jurations, one  class  of  them  might  force  the  evil  spirits, 
who  had  snatched  the  vision  from  the  king^s  brain,  to 
give  it  back,  while  another  should  move  the  beneficent 
spirits  of  the  sky  to  reveal  it  to  them  by  magic  arts,  or  by 
the  signs  of  the  stars  and  planets.-  In  every  detail  the 
narrative  is  true  to  the  picture  of  Babylonian  life  disclosed 
by  the  clay  literature  of  the  times.  The  name  of  Arioch, 
the  "  captain  of  the  king^s  guard,^^  ^  is  the  Babylonian 
Iri  Aku,  ''  the  servant  of  the  moon  god.^  His  office 
of  carrying  out  the  sentences  pronounced  by  the  king, 
is  in  exact  accordance  with  the  duties  of  his  position 
as  captain  of  the  royal  body-guard,^  and  the  punish- 
ment of  being  cut  in  pieces  and  having  their  houses 
levelled,  which  was  the  penalty  of  not  recalling  the 
dream,  is  thoroughly  Babylonian.  Sennacherib,  indeed, 
had  thus  treated  a  whole  city,  on  taking  it,  after  the  great 

1  Dan.  ii.  1. 

2  In  Dan.  ii.  4,  read  "  The  Chaldeans  answered  the  king,  (Ara- 
mean),"  that  is — "  here  Aramean  or  Chaldee  begins."  They 
answer  in  their  own  language.  Some  copyist  has  inserted  the 
word  "  Aramean,"  translated  "  Syriac  "  in  A.Y. 

^  Dan.  ii.  14. 

^  Gen.  xiv.  1.     Schrader,  Eeilinsch.,  2te  Aufg.,  p.  430. 

*  Jer.  hi.  15 ;  xxxix.  9,  11.     2  Kings  xxv.  8. 


276  AT    BABYLON. 

rebellion.^  In  contrast  to  the  Medes^  whose  king  had  to 
consult  with  his  nobles,  and  was  compelled  to  act  in  some 
cases  against  his  will,  in  obedience  to  the  law  '^  which 
altered  not/^  ^  the  kings  of  Babylon  were  absolute  in 
the  fullest  sense  of  the  word.  No  law  restrained  them. 
As  in  Turkey  at  the  present  day,  their  highest  dignitaries 
were  mere  slaves,  elevated  at  the  will  of  their  master,  and 
dependent  on  his  passing  caprice.  The  chief  eunuch, 
one  of  the  highest  officials,  is  rightly  described  in  Daniel 
as  fearing  lest  *^  his  head  might  be  endangered  '^  by  the 
smallest  deviation  from  his  master's  will.^  Every  one 
in  the  State,  whatever  his  rank,  held  his  position  and 
life  only  at  the  will  of  the  monarch.  ^^  Whom  the  Great 
King  would  he  slew,  and  whom  he  would  he  kept  alive, 
and  whom  he  would  be  set  up,  and  whom  he  would  he 
put  down.''  *  His  rank  was  that  of  a  son  of  the  gods, 
before  whom  all  men  were  as  nothing.  "  Merodach"  says 
Nebuchadnezzar,  ^^  created  me  in  my  mother's  womb."  ^ 
King  Khammurabi  claimed  to  be  the  son  of  Merodach 
and  Ri,^  and  had  his  name  inscribed,  during  his  lifetime, 
along  with  that  of  the  gods,  the  people  swearing  by  his 
name  as  a  divine  being.  "^  Nor  was  it  different  with  other 
Babylonian  or  Assyrian  kings.^  Acquaintance  so  minute 
with  the  ideas  prevalent  in  Babylon,  as  to  the  importance 
attached  to  dreams,  their  professed  interpretation  by  the 
rules  of  astrology  and  magic,  the  different  classes  of 
"  wise  men,"  the  high  rank  they  held  in  the  State,  the 
punishments  inflicted  at  the  royal  will,  and  even  with  the 

*  See  vol.  iv.  p.  475.  2  D^n.  vi.  14-17. 

*  Dan.  i.  10.     See,  on  a  later  page,  the  fear  of  Nehemiah  before 
his  Persian  master. 

^  Dan.  V.  19.  ^  Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  v.  p.  113. 

«  Ihid.,  vol.  i.  p.  8.  ?  jud,,  vol.  v.  p.  109. 

^  Speaker's  Commentary  on  Dan.,  vi.  7. 


AT    BABYLON.  277 

Babylonian  proper  names  of  the  period,  are  silent 
witnesses  to  the  truthfulness  of  the  book  in  which  they 
are  found.  Such  petty  details  and  exact  local  colouring 
imply  a  contemporary  authorship. 

The  "great  image '^  seen  by  Nebuchadnezzar  in  his 
dream  ^  is  no  less  strictly  Babylonian.  Colossal  forms, 
human  and  bestial,  met  the  eye  on  all  sides  in  the 
capital,  at  the  palace  gates,  in  the  courts  of  the  temples, 
and  elsewhere,  and  might  easily  be  woven  into  the  texture 
of  a  dream.  Statues  were  brought,  as  a  special  object 
of  plunder,  from  conquered  cities,  and  set  up  in  the 
metropolis  of  the  victor.  Thus,  Assurbanipal  records 
that  in  one  campaign  he  brought  aw^ay  thirty-two  statues 
of  kings,  in  silver,  gold,  bronze,  and  alabaster,  and 
others  of  the  gods.^  The  gold,  silver,  bronze,  and  iron 
of  Nebuchadnezzar's  image  were  thus  familiar  for  such 
uses,  and  the  excavations  attest  that  statues  in  baked 
clay  abounded. 

That  a  forgotten  dream  should  have  been  recalled  by 
Daniel,  and  interpreted  with  such  evident  wisdom,  filled 
the  mind  of  the  Great  King  with  awe.  He  felt  that  the 
Jewish  captive  was  the  mouth-piece  of  a  Power  greater 
than  his  own,  and  therefore  more  than  human.  Him- 
self skilled  in  the  superstitious  arts  of  his  day,^  he  saw 
that  they  had  utterly  failed,  where  Daniel  stood  tri- 
umphant. Such  a  result  implied  the  direct  aid  of  a 
God  mightier  than  those  invoked  by  the  Babylonians, 
and  the  Divine  honours  supremely  due  to  a  Being  so 
transcendent  demanded  that  the  highest  respect  should 
be  shown  to  His  representative.  The  scene  at  the  gate  of 
Lystra,  where  the  crowd,  under  similar  excitement,  wished 
to  sacrifice  to    Paul  and  Barnabas,  was  anticipated   in 

I  Dau.  ii.  31.  ^  Smith's  Assurbanipal,  pp.  227-230. 

»  Dan.  i.  20. 


278  AT   BABYLON. 

the  gorgeous  halls  of  the  Great  King.  Falling  down  on 
his  face,  Nebuchadnezzar  paid  Daniel  the  lowly  reverence 
due  to  a  messenger  of  the  Highest  God,  while  the  priests, 
at  his  order,  poured  out  a  drink-offering  at  his  feet,  and 
burned  incense  before  him.^  To  raise  him  to  lofty 
dignity  followed.  Such  a  man  was  clearly  the  most 
illustrious  of  the  sacred  orders  of  Babylon ;  he  should 
henceforth  bear  rank  as  such,  and  take  precedence 
in  the  metropolitan  province,  which  included  Babylon 
and  the  district  round.  But  Daniel,  always  generous 
and  faithful,  shrank  from  such  an  exaltation,  until  he 
had  secured  that  of  his  three  companions  also,  to  posts 
of  dignity;  the  special  honour,  however,  being  granted 
to  him  alone,  of  apartments  in  the  royal  palace.^  Four, 
at  least,  of  the  Hebrew  captives  were  thus  advanced 
within  the  charmed  circle  ^  where  they  could  most 
efficiently  serve  the  interests  of  their  race. 

The  incident  of  the  golden  image  set  up  by  the  Great 
King  *  is  illustrated  in  many  of  its  details  by  the  inscrip- 
tions, or  from  hints  of  ancient  authors. 

Colossal  statues  of  gold  were  familiar  to  the  Babylonians. 
The  description  given,  by  Diodorus  of  Sicily,  of  the  three 
which,  till  it  was  plundered  by  Xerxes,  crowned  the  great 
Temple  of  Bel,  displaying  to  all,  far  and  near,  the  figures 
of  the  three  great  gods  of  the  city,  shows  that,  with  the 
altars  and  other  accessories  before  them,  they  contained 

^  Dan.  ii.  46. 

2  Dan.  ii.  49.  The  words  "  sat  in  the  gate  of  the  king,"  are 
equivalent  to  having  quarters  in  the  palace,  as  the  gate  stands 
for  the  whole  building.     Esther  ii.  19,  21;  iii.  2,  etc. 

^  The  word  used  is,  that  he  made  them  shallits,  an  official  title 
used  in  the  inscriptions.  It  is  the  diminutive  of  Sultan,  which 
is  derived  from  the  same  verb.  It  occurs  in  Dan.  ii.  15;  v.  29. 
Ezra  iv.  20. 

4  Dan.  iii. 


AT    BABYLON.  279 

a  mass  of  the  precious  metal,  equal  in  value  to  £17,225,000 
of  our  money.^  Moreover,  in  the  temple  at  Borsippa,  till 
the  time  of  Xerxes,  there  was,  according  to  Herodotus,^ 
who  visited  Babylon  soon  after,  a  statue  of  solid  gold 
18  feet  high.  There  is,  further,  in  the  British  Mu- 
seum, a  tablet  containing  a  charge  laid  before  the  king, 
against  two  high  officials,  of  having  made  away  with  seven 
talents  of  pure  gold,^  destined  to  form  a  statue  of  him- 
self and  his  mother.^  The  very  robes  of  gold  presented, 
apparently  by  Assurbanipal,  to  the  great  idols,  Merodach 
and  Zirpanit,  in  the  pyramid  temple  of  Babylon,  weighed, 
as  we  learn  from  an  inscription,  four  talents,  which  was 
equal  to  £14,500,  and  were,  besides,  enriched  with 
precious  stones.^  The  amount  of  gold  carried  off  by 
Nebuchadnezzar  as  the  spoil  of  all  Western  Asia,  exceeds 
imagination,  if  it  were  not  confirmed  by  trustworthy 
documents.  One  of  his  inscriptions  informs  us  that 
he  plated  an  altar  placed  before  the  Temple  of  Bel,  with 
pure  gold,  of  immense  weight,  and  lined  all  the  interior  of 
the  sanctuary,  at  the  top  of  the  highest  stage  or  terrace 
of  the  temple,  '^  with  beaten  gold,  shining  like  the  rising 
and  setting  sun.''^  ^  A  statue  of  one  of  the  Assyrian 
kings,^  and  others  of  Nebo  and  Istar,  were  found  at 
Nimroud,^  so  that  Nebuchadnezzar's  golden  image  was 
strictly  in  keeping  with  the  fashion  of  the  time,  while  the 
gigantic  size  affected  in  this  case,  harmonized  with  his 
other  creations  at  Babylon. 

»  Diod.  Sic,  ii.  9.  2  ^erod.,  i.  181. 

*  The  value  of  this  weight  of  gold  would  be  over  £25,000. 

*  Lenormant,  Clioix  de  Textes,  fasc.  4. 

6   West.  Asiat  Ins.,  ii.  38,  3.  ^  jj^^^^  i  53^  53^ 

?  Now  in  the  British  Museum.      See  Layard,  Nineveh  and  its 
Remains,  vol.  ii.  p.  51. 
®  Eawlinson's  And.  Mon.,  vol.  i.  pp.  141,  341. 


280  AT   BABYLON. 

Such  sacred  images  were  inaugurated  with  extra- 
ordinary solemnities^  the  statue  being  borne  along  with 
all  reverence,  in  a  procession  of  the  notables  and  sacred 
orders,  amidst  the  loud  celebrations  and  rejoicings^  of  a 
great  public  festival.  Shalraaneser,  who  was  contempo- 
rary, as  king  of  Assyria,  with  Ahab  and  Jehu,  and  also 
Samai-Rimmon  his  son,  had  erected  statues  of  their  "  mag- 
nified royalty,  at  Nineveh,^  and,  as  a  still  mightier  sultan, 
Nebuchadnezzar  might  well  go  beyond  them.  He  there- 
fore ordered  a  huge  image,  perhaps  of  himself,  perhaps 
of  his  chief  god,  Merodach,^  overlaid  entirely  with  plates 
of  gold,*  to  be  erected  in  the  Plain  of  Dura,  a  spot  near 
Babylon,  still  retaining  the  same  name.  It  lies  about  five 
miles  from  the  great  city,^  on  the  south-east,  in  a  district 
marked  by  the  dry  channels  of  various  ancient  canals, 
once  spreading  fertility  on  every  side.  One  bears  the 
name  of  Nahr  Dura — ^'  the  stream  of  the  walls " — 
perhaps  from  its  connection  with  the  great  moats  round 
the  fortifications.  It  leads  to  a  series  of  mounds  extend- 
ing for  the  distance  of  a  league.  These,  as  a  whole,  are 
called  the  Mounds  of  Dura;  the  ancient  watercourses 
ending  at  their  feet.  One  of  them,  now  named  Mo- 
khattat — "  the  squared  mound,'' — faces  the  four  cardinal 
points,  and  rises  to  the  height  of  nearly  twenty  feet ;  each 
side,  at  the  base,  being  almost  exactly  fifty-six  feet  long. 
On  the  top  of  this,  Oppert  found  four  blocks  of  bricks, 

^  Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  v.  p.  117. 

2  Ibid.,  vol.  i.  p.  17.  Norris,  Ass.  Diet.,  vol.  ii.  p.  345.  Oppert, 
Gram.  Assyr.,  p.  120. 

3  Lenormant,  Divination,  p.  183. 

*  The  great  image  of  Bel  is  said,  in  "  Bel  and  the  Dragon,"  to 
have  been  of  clay  within  and  brass  outside.     Bel,  etc.  ver.  7. 

^  Oppert  places  it  outside  the  city.  The  Speaker^s  Com,  sup- 
poses it  was  within  the  city.  But  the  houses  would  hide  a  wide 
view  of  it  there.     Besides,  Oppert  was  on  the  spot. 


AT    BABYLON.  281 

formerly  a  united  whole.  "  On  seeing  this  mound/^  says 
he,  "  one  is  instantly  struck  with  its  resemblance  to  the 
pedestal  of  a  colossal  statue,  and  everything  leads  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  is  the  base  of  that  of  which  the  Book 
of  Daniel  speaks. ^^  ^ 

The  monument  as  a  whole,  including,  we  may  suppose, 
the  platform  from  which  it  rose,  towered  to  a  height  of 
ninety  feet,^  with  a  breadth,  in  some  parts,  of  nine,  which 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  image  was  seated  rather 
than  erect,  like  some  of  the  colossal  forms  which  Nebu- 
chadnezzar had  seen  in  Egypt.  Such  a  figure  would  be 
visible  at  a  great  distance,  for  the  dip  of  the  horizon  in 
the  level  plain  of  Dura  is  only  fifty-three  feet  in  twelve 
miles.^ 

The  inauguration  ceremonies  of  this  huge  idol  were  on 
a  scale  magnificent  even  for  Babylon.  Eunners  posted 
to  distant  regions,  commanding  the  attendance  of  the 
satraps  and  their  deputies,  the  shallits  or  petty  sultans, 
the  generals,^  the  treasurers,  the  judges,  the  lawyers,  and 
all  the  governors  of  the  provinces.  Ere  long,  the  roads 
throughout  the  empire,  leading  to  the  capital,  were 
thronged  by  brilliant  cavalcades  converging  on  the  great 
centre,  and  in  due  time  an  assembly  of  surpassing  splen- 
dour appeared  at  Dura,  to  honour  the  high  festival. 
Religion  in  antiquity  was  strictly  a  matter  of  state ;  dis- 
loyalty to  the  gods  appointed  for  public  worship  being 
held  covert  disloyalty  to  the  monarch  who  commanded 
homage  to  be  paid  them.     Hence  it  was  proclaimed  that 

^  Expedition  en  Mesop.,  vol.  i.  pp,  239,  340.  Journ.  of  B.  Geog, 
Soc,  vol.  X.  p.  93. 

2  Taking  the  cubit  at  eighteen  inches, 

3  Selby's  Trigon.  Survey  of  Mesopotamia,  India  Office. 

^  Kendered  by  some,  "  magistrates";  by  Ewald,  "arch-astrolo- 
gers"; by  Miihlau  und  Volck,  **  chief  judges." 


282 


AT    BABYLON. 


all  should  prostrate  themselves  when  the  outburst  of 
triumphal  music  announced  the  proper  moment;  refusal 
to  do  so  being  threatened  with  the  terrible  punishment 
of  being  burnt  to  death  in  a  fiery  furnace.  This  was  the 
fate  reserved  for  audacious  rebels,  such  as  Saulmugina,^ 
or  blasphemers,  like  Dimaun,  who  had  cursed  the  gods 
under  the  reign  of  Assurbanipal.  A  picture  on  the 
palace  walls  of  that  monarch,  at  Kouyundjik,  indeed, 
shows  two  unfortunate  creatures  being  burnt  alive,  their 
tongues  having  first  been  pulled 
out.2  The  narrative  of  Daniel's 
companions  having  been  thrown 
into  the  burning  furnace  for  re- 
fusal to  worship  the  golden  image, 
is  thus  in  strict  accordance  with 
Babylonian  usages. 

That  the  names  of  some  of  the 
instruments  used  at  the  inaug- 
uration of  the  golden  idol — the 
sambuke,  the  kitharis  and  the 
psalterion^ — are  Greek,  has  been 
regarded  as  showing  "  Daniel ''  to 
be  of  late  origin.  But  while  music 
occupies  a  small  space  in  the 
sculptures  of  the  earlier  kings,  it 
became  a  prominent  feature  in  all  religious  and  public 
ceremonies  in  Assyria  and  Babylon,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  sixth  century  before  Christ,  that  is,  just  before  the 
time  of  Nebuchadnezzar ;  and  nothing  was  more  natural, 
when  we  remember  the  wide  dispersion  of  the  Greeks 


A  Playeb  oir  the  Egxptia.it 

GOITAE,   ASSYBIA. 


1  See  vol.  V.  pp.  87-89.  -  West.  Asiat.  Inscr.,  in.  37,  7. 

3  The  sambuke  was  a  large  harp,  similar  to  our  own;  the 
kitharis,  a  lyre,  like  ours;  the  psalteriori,  another  variety  of  the 
Ijre. 


AT   BABYLON.  283 

even  at  an  earlier  period,  than  that  foreign  instruments 
should  have  been  familiar  on  the  Euphrates,  at  this 
time.  Greek  regiments  had  been  common  in  Egypt  for 
generations.  Sargon,  so  long  before  as  the  days  of 
Isaiah,  knew  the  lonians,  or  Greeks.  Sennacherib  had 
invaded  Cilicia.  Esarhaddon  and  Assurbanipal  came  in 
contact  with  the  race  in  Phenicia,  and  both  kings  had 
Greek  chiefs  of  Cyprus  as  their  tributaries.  Foreign 
instruments,  moreover,  would  be  as  eagerly  sought  after 
then  as  now ;  and  if  we  meet  Sanscrit  words  for  Indian 
productions^  in  the  Book  of  Kings,  why  not  Grecian 
names  in  Daniel,  for  importations  from  the  West  ? 

Indeed,  the  musicians  on  the  late  Assyrian  sculptures 
use  a  variety  of  instruments  ^  of  which  many  were  un- 
doubtedly foreign,  like  the  hinnor  of  Syria,  the  double 
flute  of  Asia  Minor,^  and  the  seven-stringed  cithara^ 
which  is  certainly  a  Greek  invention.*  Nor  can  we 
forget  how  captives  were  forced  by  their  masters  to  sing 
and  play  their  native  music,  as  the  Psalms  so  pathetically 
record  in  the  case  of  the  Jews.^ 

In  the  narrative  of  the  deliverance  of  the  three  Hebrew 
confessors  from  the  fiery  furnace,  Nebuchadnezzar  is  re- 
presented as  saying  that  he  saw  a  fourth  presence,  like 
that  of  the  ''  Son  of  God,"  ^  but  as  the  article  is  wanting 
in  the  sacred  text  it  is  more  correct  to  read  ^'  a  son  of 
the  gods."*'  Eegarding  himself  as  of  Divine  descent,  he 
may  have  used  the  phrase  only  in  allusion  to  a  royal 
dignity  in  the  Form,  like  his  own.  But  another  mean- 
ing is  not  improbable,  for  the  word  Bar,  employed  by 
the   Great  King,  though  equivalent  to  "  Son,^^  was  also 

1  See  vol.  iii.  p.  387.  ^  gee  vol.  iv.  p.  105. 

*  Five  Great  Monarchies,  2nd  ed.,  vol.  i.  pp.  529,  530,  534. 

*  Lenormant,  La  Divination,  p.  191. 

*  Ps.  cxxxvii.  "  Dan.  iii.  25. 


284  AT    BABYLON. 

the  special  name  of  the  God  of  Fire.  It  may  be,  there- 
fore, that  he  fancied  he  recognised,  in  the  angel,  a  form 
like  '^  Bar,  of  the  gods,^'  and  thought  the  fire-god  him- 
self had  appeared  on  behalf  of  the  sufferers,  as  a  protest 
against  their  treatment. 

The  mental  alienation  of  Nebuchadnezzar^  was  un- 
doubtedly the  form  of  madness  known  as  lycanthropy,^ 
in  which  the  habits  of  animals  are  in  some  form  assumed 
by  the  insane  person.  Instances  of  those  afflicted  in  this 
way  eating  grass,  leaves,  twigs,  etc.,  like  the  Great  King, 
are  familiar  to  medical  men.  Nor  is  it  uncommon  for 
the  mind  to  lose  its  balance  in  some  direction,  in  one 
raised  so  far  above  all  other  men  as  a  mighty  despot, 
and  so  irresponsible.  Many  of  the  CsGsars  undoubtedly 
suffered  this  terrible  penalty  of  solitary  greatness,  nor  are 
theirs  the  only  instances  of  the  kind  in  history.  That 
any  allusion  to  such  a  humiliating  calamity  should  be 
found  recorded  in  the  Babylonian  annals,  is  not  however 
to  be  expected.  It  would  be  carefully  guarded  from 
the  knowledge  of  chroniclers,  as  a  palace  secret.  But 
that  some  terrible  illness  seized  Nebuchadnezzar  is 
strangely  proved  by  the  recent  discovery  of  a  bronze 
doorstep,  presented  by  him  to  the  great  temple  of  El 
Saggil,  at  Borsippa,  one  of  the  suburbs  or  divisions 
of  Babylon.  It  speaks  of  his  having  been  afflicted,  and 
of  his  restoration  to  health,  and  may  well  have  been  a 
votive  offering  to  the  gods  on  his  recovery  from  the 
attack  mentioned  in  Daniel.  Nor  is  this  at  all  incon- 
sistent with  his  recorded  homage  to  Jehovah.^  Though 
he  honoured  the  whole  of  the  gods,  his  inscriptions  show 
that   in    a   restricted    sense   he   always   worshipped  one 

^  Dan.  iv.  ^  Dr.  Piisey  has  collected  many  instances  of  this  ; 
Daniel  p.  425.  Lycanthrophy  =  lit.  "  the  change  of  a  man  into  a 
wolf."  3  Dan.  iv.  34,  87. 


AT   BABYLON.  285 

god  especially.  While  he  built  temples  to  various 
divinities,  and  acknowledged  not  only  the  ^' great  gods,^' 
but  at  least  thirteen  besides,  he  also  speaks  constantly 
of  the  ''chief  of  the  gods/'  the  ''  King  of  the  Gods/'  and 
"  the  God  of  gods/'  Merodach  is  "  the  Great  Lord,"  ''  God 
his  maker/'  the  "  Lord  of  all  beings/'  *'  the  Prince  of 
Heaven/'  "the  God  of  Heaven  and  Earth/'  "  the  Lord  of 
Lords/' ''  the  Lord  God."^  He  might,  therefore,  have  for 
the  time  transferred  to  Jehovah,  perhaps  as  another  name 
for  his  own  Merodach,  the  homage  hitherto  rendered  to 
the  Babylonian  idol. 

With  the  fourth  chapter  of  Daniel,  the  Scripture  record 
of  Nebuchadnezzar's  life  closes.  He  survived  his  tem- 
porary alienation  for  some  years,  and  died  in  B.C.  561,  the 
undisputed  ruler  of  his  vast  empire.  Unfortunately,  very 
few  cuneiform  memorials  of  his  reign  have  survived ;  nor 
are  there  any  annals  of  his  campaigns,  like  those  left  by 
some  Assyrian  kings.  His  inscriptions  refer  mainly  to  the 
construction  of  temples,  palaces,  and  public  buildings;  but 
they  incidentally  throw  light  on  his  zeal  for  the  gods, 
and  his  pride  in  being  virtually  the  builder  of  his  mighty 
capital. 

The  record  of  his  repairing  the  Temple  of  the  Seven 
Lights  at  Borsippa  has  already  been  given,-  in  illustration 
of  the  story  of  the  Tower  of  Babel.  Besides  this,  we  have 
a  lengthened  statement  of  his  building  or  restoring 
various  temples,  at  an  immense  cost,  and  of  his  raising 
the  walls,  digging  the  moats,  and  otherwise  strengthening 
the  defences  of  Babylon,  and  a  very  short  notice  of  his 
expeditions  to  Egypt.^  Fortunately,  however,  there  have 
come  to  light  a  series  of  commercial  tablets,  the  business 
records  of  a  great  banking  house  in  Babylon,  beginning 

*  See  liecords  of  tlie  PasU  vol.  v.  pp.  Ill,  ff. ;  vol.  vii.  pp.  69  ff. 
=  Vol.  i.  p.  277.  3  See  p.  206. 


286  AT   BABYLON. 

with  the  first  year  of  his  reign,  and  continuing  for  the 
next  117  years,  to  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  King  Darius 
Hystaspis,  B.C.  485.  Egibi,  the  founder  of  the  house, 
seems  to  have  lived  in  the  later  years  of  the  reign  of 
Sennacherib;  but  though  this  is  implied  by  a  single 
tablet  of  B.C.  677,  the  unbroken  series  begins  only  in 
B.C.  604.  They  are  of  the  greatest  value  in  fixing  dates ; 
but,  besides  this,  they  incidentally  throw  light  on  not  a 
few  points  of  Babylonian  life.  One  records  a  loan  of  a 
few  shekels  to  some  needy  borrower ;  another  the  sale 
or  mortgage  of  great  estates.  Every  legal  precaution 
is  taken  in  the  various  documents  to  prevent  fraud  and 
secure  the  exact  fulfilment  of  covenants,  under  every 
contingency.  Witnesses  duly  attest  each  transaction, 
and  each  tablet  is  duly  docketed  and  labelled,  after  being 
registered  in  the  government  office  at  Babylon.  While 
the  Hebrews  were  listening  to  Ezekiel  at  Chebar,  and 
Daniel  wfts  at  his  duties  or  studies  in  the  palace,  the  clerks 
and  principals  of  the  great  banking-house  were  quietly 
working  at  their  desks  in  the  city,  discounting  bills,  ad- 
vancing loans,  and  negotiating  sales  and  mortgages,  as  if 
the  business  premises  of  Egibi  were  the  only  important 
spot  in  the  universe  ! 

There  is  a  strange  tradition  respecting  the  end  of 
Nebuchadnezzar's  reign. ^  It  relates  that  after  he  had 
grown  mightier  than  Hercules,  and  had  undertaken 
campaigns  to  Lybia  and  Iberia,  and  settled  part  of  the 
subdued  nations  at  Pontus,  on  the  Black  Sea,  the  Great 
King  went  up  to  the  roof  of  his  palace,  and  prophesied,  by 
the  inspiration  of  a  god,  that  the  Medes  and  Persians 
would,  hereafter,  bring  the  Babylonians  to  slavery,  not 
without  guilt  on   the  part  of  the   ruler   of  the    empire. 

^  From  Abydenus  in  Eusebius,  Prcep.  Evan.,  ix.  41,  b.  Ed. 
Gaisford. 


AT    BABYLON. 


287 


Having  utttered  these  things,  Nebuchadnezzar,  we  are 
told,  suddenly  vanished.^ 

*  Two  inscriptions  of  Nebuchadnezzar  have  heen  lately  found 
cut  in  the  rocks  of  Phenicia — one  of  them  announced  only  this 
year,  1884.  The  earlier  known  of  these  inscriptions  is  engraved 
in  the  rocks  of  the  Dog  Eiver  ;  the  other  on  those  of  one  of  the 
wildest  valleys  of  the  Lebanon.  The  commencement  of  this  in- 
scription— indeed  there  are  two,  at  the  same  place,  with  the  same 
beginning— reads  thus,  "  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  the 
Illustrious  Shepherd  (King),  the  servant  of  Merodach  the  Great 
Lord,  his  creator,  and  of  Nebo,  his  (Merodach's)  illustrious  son, 
whom  his  royalty  (Nebuchadnezzar)  loves."  Unluckily,  they  only 
give  an  account  of  the  great  buildings  he  is  having  constructed 
in  Babylon.  The  earlier  inscription,  on  the  Dog  River,  is  equally 
unimportant,  merely  speaking,  as  already  said,  of  the  various 
wines  of  Lebanon,  of  which  the  Great  King  tell  us  that  of  Helbon» 
near  Damascus  was,  in  his  opinion,  the  best. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


COMFORT   YE 

MY   PEOPLE. 

B.C. 

B.C. 

Evil-Merodach  ....    561-559 

PiSISTRATUS  IN  ATHENS  . 

.    .    560 

Nergal-Sharezer  .     .    .    559-555 

Cyrus  conquers  Media. 

.    .    558 

Laborosoarchod     .     .    .    555 

Crcesus  reigns  in  Lydia 

.    .    558 

Nabonidus 555-538 

Crcesus       overthrown 

by 

Cyrus  occupies  Babylon    538 

Cyrus    

.    .    545 

r  I  1HE  year  B.C.  561  was  marked  by  the  death  of 
-■-  Nebuchadnezzar,  at  the  age  of  about  eighty,  after 
a  reign  of  more  than  forty-three  years.  He  had  created 
the  mighty  empire  over  which  he  ruled,  and  it  may  be 
said  to  have  died  with  him  ;  for  in  less  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century  the  city  of  Babylon  itself  yielded  to  Cyrus 
without  a  blow.  His  son,  Evil-Merodach  {"  Merodach's 
Man^'),  succeeded  him;  but  is  known  as  king  only 
through  his  kindness  to  Jehoiachin,  who  had  languished 
in  Nebuchadnezzar's  dungeons  for  thirty-seven  years. 
Releasing  him  after  his  long  durance,  he  ^'  spoke  kindly 
to  him,''  we  are  told,  and  gave  him  maintenance  from 
the  royal  table  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  Zedekiah  was 
doubtless  already  dead,  else  he  would,  we  may  suppose, 
have  shared  in  this  good  fortune.  But  the  benefactor  of 
the  poor  Jewish  king  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  his  high 
position.     Three  years  after  his  accession  he  was  murdered 


COMPORT    YE    MY    PEOPLE.  289 

by  Nergal  Sharezer,  who  seems  to  have  been  the 
"  prince ''  of  that  name  holding  a  command  in  the  army  of 
Nebuchadnezzar  at  the  taking  of  Jerusalem.^  Like  that 
dignitary,  he  is  styled  in  the  inscriptions  ^'  Rubu  Emga/' 
or  Rab  Mag — a  title  the  meaning  of  which  is  not  known 
— and  it  is  not  probable  that  two  persons  of  the  same 
name  could  have  held  the  dignity  it  represents,  under 
the  same  king.  He  had  married  a  daughter  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and  thus  had  every  opportunity  for  treason. 
But  he  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  crime, 
dying  a  natural  death  within  less  than  four  years  and  a 
half  after  his  accession.  A  palace  built  by  him  has  been 
discovered  at  Babylon;  the  only  one  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Euphrates ;  his  name  and  titles  appearing  on  the 
bricks  which  still  remain.  His  son,  who  succeeded  him, 
was  a  mere  boy,  and  was  murdered  after  a  brief  reign  of 
four  months.  The  throne  was  then  seized  by  Nabu- 
nahid,  or  Nabonidus,  who  claimed  to  be  the  son  of  the 
Rubu  Emga,  the  title  given  to  Nergal  Sharezer.  He 
was  the  last  king  of  Babylon,  retaining  the  sovereignty 
till  overthrown,  after  seventeen  years,  by  Cyrus.  Of 
his  reign  the  inscriptions  furnish  us  with  some  notices, 
which  will  be  given  in  their  place. 

The  religious  life  of  the  Jewish  exiles  in  these  years 
was  slowly  reawaking,  under  the  influence  of  their 
national  misfortunes  and  of  the  words  of  the  prophets. 
It  is  impossible  to  assign  precise  dates  to  many  of  the 
Psalms,  but  some  appear  to  refer  so  distinctly  to  the 
Captivity  that  we  may  fitly  ascribe  them  to  that  period. 

The  14th  seems  to  belong  to  this  class. 

*  Jer.  xxxix.  3.  Authorities  for  the  chronology :  Kuetschi  in 
Herzog,  2te  Auf.,  art.  Nebuchadnezzar ;  Sayce,  Fresh  Light,  etc. ; 
Riehm,  Calwer  Bibellexicon,  etc. 

VOL.    VI.  U 


290  COMFOET    YE    MY    PEOPLE. 

The  tooV  says  in  his  heart,  "  there  is  no  God." 
They  have   corrupted  themselves,  they  have   done  abominable 

deeds, 
There  is  no  one  that  does  what  is  right. 
Jehovah  looked  down  from  heaven  on  the  sons  of  men, 
To  see  if  there  were  any  that  had  understanding : 
Any  who  sought  after  God  ! 
All  have  turned  aside ;  all  alike  are  corrupted :  ^ 
No  one  does  good,  no,  not  one ! 

"  Are  all  these  workers  of  iniquity  without  knowledge. 
Who  eat  up  My  people  as  they  eat  bread, 
And  do  not  worship  Jehovah  ?  " 
They  trembled  in  great  fear  (where  no  fear  was)  ^ 
For  God  is  in  the  generation  of  the  righteous ; 
Ye  may  pour  contempt  (ye  who  believe  not  in    God)  on  the 

oppressed. 
Because  he  makes  Jehovah  his  refuge !     (It  matters  not !) 
Oh  that  the  Salvation  of  Israel  would  come  out  of  Zion  I 
When  Jehovah  turns  back  the  captivity  of  His  people 
Jacob  shall  rejoice  and  Israel  shall  be  glad ! 

In  the  105th  and  106th  Psalms  the  great  deeds  per- 
formed by  God  in  ancient  times  on  behalf  of  His  people 
seem  to  be  recapitulated^  to  rouse  the  exiles  to  confi- 
dence that  He  would,  after  all,  deliver  the  nation  from 
their  present  calamities.  Both  poems  show  a  minute 
acquaintance  with  the  early  history  of  the  race,  as  pre- 
served in  the  Pentateuch,  which  must  thus  have  been 
universally  known,  and  accepted  as  a  sacred  record,  when 
they  were  written.  The  national  idolatry  of  the  past 
is  sternly  denounced,  and  a  spirit  like  that  of  Phinehas 
shown  against  any  approach  to  it.  Israel,  it  tells  us, 
had    sinned  in  not   destroying  the   heathen    nations   of 

1  Ps.  xiv.  2  Tainted,  or  sour. 

3  From  the  duplicate  version  of  the  psalm  (liii.  5.)  The  Hebrews 
were  in  terror  of  their  heathen  oppressors,  but  without  cause, 
"  for,"  etc. ;  see  next  line. 


COMFORT    YE    MY    PEOPLE.  291 

Canaan  utterly.^  Failing  to  do  this,  its  sons  had  mingled 
among  them  and  imitated  their  idolatry.  They  had 
sacrificed  to  the  Shedim,  the  gods  represented  in  Baby- 
lonia, where  they  now  lived,  by  the  colossal  bulls  and 
monsters  around  them.^  The  blood  of  their  sons  and 
daughters  had  been  ofi'ered  to  the  idols  of  Canaan,  till 
God,  in  His  wrath,  had  given  them  into  the  hand  of  the 
heathen,  and  they  that  hated  them  ruled  over  them.  But 
even  in  their  exile  He  had  remembered  them,  for  His 
covenant's  sake,  and  "  made  them  to  be  pitied  of  all 
those  that  carried  them  captive.^' 

"  Save  us,  0  Jehovah,  our  God !  "  concludes  the  Psalmist,  "and 
gather  us  from  among  the  heathen,  to  give  thanks  unto  Thy  holy 
name,  and  to  glory  in  Thy  praise." 

Then  follows  the  grand  doxology  : 

"  Blessed  be  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  from  everlasting  to 
everlasting  ! 
And  let  all  the  people  say  Amen  1 
Hallelujah ! " 

But  it  is  in  the  137th  Psalm  that  we  meet  with  the  most 
pathetic  memorial  of  these  gloomy  days,  written  after 
the  return  of  the  exiles  to  their  own  land ;  a  memorial 
touching  in  its  sympathy  for  Israel  in  its  sufferings,  but 
marked  by  that  fierce  spirit  towards  the  enemies  of  the 
nation  which  shows  the  contrast  between  Judaism  and 
Christianity. 

By  the  streams  ^  of  Babylon,  there  sat  we,  and  wept. 
When  we  thought  upon  Zion ! 

^  Ps.  cvi.  34.     Deut.  vii.  2.     Num.  xxxiii.  52.     See  further,  in 
any  Reference  Bible. 

2  Schrader's  Keilinsclirift.,  p.  160.     Ps.  cvi.  37. 
*  The  canals  of  irrigation.     Ps.  cxxxvii. 


292  COMFOET    YE    MY    PEOPLE. 

We  hanged  our  harps  on  the  willows  *  in  the  land ;  ^ 

For  there  our  oppressors  demanded  from  us  the  music  of  our 

songs, 
Our  slave-drivers  required  us  to  make  mirth  for  them. 
(Ordering  us  to)  "  Sing  (to  them)  the  songs  of  Zion  " ! 

How  could  we  sing  the  songs  of  Jehovah  in  a  strange  land  ? 

If  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem, 
Let  my  right  hand  forget  (its  cunning); 
Let  my  tongue  cleave  to  my  palate 
If  I  do  not  remember  thee  ; 
If  I  set  not  Jerusalem  above  my  chiefest  joy  ! 

Eemember,  O  Jehovah,  to  the  sons  of  Edom,  the  day  (of  the 
fall)  of  Jerusalem; 3 
How  they  cried,  "  Rase  it,  rase  it  to  its  foundations  ! " 

0  daughter  of  Babylon,  thou  oppressor, 
Joy  to  him  who  repays  thee  what  thou  hast  done  to  us  ! 
Joy  to  him  who  takes  thy  children  and  dashes  them  against  the 
stones! 

The  visions  of  Daniel  are  another  reminiscence  of  the 
days  of  the  Exile,  and  mark  an  era  in  the  literature  of 
the  nation.  As  if  the  altered  circumstances  of  the  times 
had  influenced  the  form  of  revelation,  the  seer  no  longer 
conveys  the  messages  of  God  to  His  people  by  ordinary 

^  The  weeping  willow,  to  which,  from  this  passage,  Linnaeus 
gave  the  name  Salix  Babylonica,  is  not  found  in  Babylonia.  "The 
weeping  willow  is  indigenous  in  China  and  Japan,  cultivated  in 
Europe,  but  neither  indigenous  nor  cultivated  in  Babylonia."— 
Koch's  Bendrologie,  vol.  ii.  p.  507.  It  may  be  either  the  tamarisk 
or  the  poplar,  to  which  the  Arabs  still  give  the  name  of  Ereh,  the 
word  used  in  this  Psalm.  Stanley's  Lectures,  vol.  iii.  p.  11.  Wet- 
stein,  in  Delitzsch's  Jes.,  2te  Auf.,  p.  460,  is  of  this  opinion  also. 
Dr.  Tristram,  however,  thinks  the  willow  is  intended.  N,  H.  B., 
p.  414.  2  Eivald. 

3  Obad.  xi.  12.  Jer.  xlix.  7-22.  Lam.  iv.  21,  22.  Ezek.  xxv. 
8-14.     Zech.  i.  15. 


COMFORT  YE  MY  PEOPLE.  293 

discourse,  bub  by  a  series  of  visions  in  which  angels  take 
the  place  of  "  the  word  of  Jehovah/'  He  is  no  more  a 
preacher  to  his  contemporaries,  but  discloses  to  them  the 
future  history  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  its  widest  rela- 
tions. Ezekiel  had  already  introduced  this  apocalyptic 
feature,  but  Daniel  confines  himself  to  it ;  and  it  is  a 
curious  question  how  far  the  mind  of  both  may  have  been 
influenced  in  the  mystical  style  of  their  visions  by  earlier 
writings,  more  or  less  similar  in  character.  Zoroaster, 
the  great  reformer  of  the  ancient  Persian  religion,  had 
ended  his  course  before  that  of  the  Jewish  prophet  began, 
and  his  writings  and  sayings  may  readily  have  spread 
from  Persia  to  the  neighbouring  Babylon.  Local  in- 
fluences, as  we  have  seen,  affected  the  inspired  writers 
as  they  do  others,  and  it  is,  thus,  noteworthy  to  find  in 
Zoroaster  such  a  passage  as  the  following  : — 

Zertuscht^  having  asked  Ormuzd  for  immortality,  was 
shown  by  him  the  Omniscient  Wisdom.  He  saw  a  tree 
with  such  a  root  that  four  trees  had  sprung  from  it, — • 
a  golden,  a  silver,  a  steel,  and  an  iron  one.  Then  said 
Zertuscht :  '^  Lord,  thou  ruler  of  the  dignities  of  earth 
and  heaven,  I  have  seen  the  root  of  a  tree  from  which 
four  trees  have  sprung."  And  Ormuzd  replied  to  the 
holy  Zertuscht:  "The  root  of  this  one  tree  thou  hast  seen 
is  the  world ;  and  the  four  trees  that  have  sprung  from 
it  are  the  four  times  that  are  to  come  ; — the  golden,  when 
I  and  thou  are  at  one,  and  Kstagp-shah  receives  the  law, 
and  the  body  of  the  Devs  is  broken  in  pieces  and  they 
hide  themselves ;  the  silver  is  the  reign  of  the  royal 
Artaschir ;  the  steel,  the  reign  of  Anosherevan-Khosru, 
son  of  Kobat ;  the  iron,  the  evil  rule  of  the  Devs."'"'  ^ 

1  The  modern  name  for  Zoroaster. 

2  MS.  of  Prof.  Spiegel.  From  the  Bahnan  Jescht.  Herzog,  2te 
A-uf.,  vol.  iii.  p.  472. 


294  COMFORT   YE    MY    PEOPLE. 

The  similarity  between  tliis  and  the  visions  of  Daniel 
is  apparent ;  and  it  can  be  no  irreverence  to  trace  the 
influence  of  such  a  form  of  composition  on  that  of  the 
sacred  writer.  Designing  to  keep  before  the  mind  of 
succeeding  generations  the  development  of  the  kingdom 
of  the  Messiah,  he  adopts  a  style  already  familiar  to  his 
brethren  in  their  new  home,  and  so  suited  to  the  popular 
taste  that  his  Book  became  the  first  of  a  long  series  of 
writings  of  a  similar  type.  The  Book  of  Esdras,  the  Book 
of  Enoch,  the  Jewish  Sybillines,  and  other  books  of  the 
same  class,  followed  the  model  thus  set  by  Daniel,  and 
formed  the  last;  though  uninspired,  link  between  ancient 
prophecy  and  the  fulness  of  revelation  under  Jesus 
Christ.! 

But  it  was  not  to  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah  and 
Ezekiel  only,  or  to  the  apocalyptic  visions  of  Daniel,  or 
the  writings  of  the  minor  prophets  of  past  generations, 
that  Israel  owed  the  amazing  religious  revival  which 
marked  the  later  years  of  the  Captivity,  and  permanently 
revolutionized  the  national  character. 

The  high  position  and  personal  dignity  of  Daniel  must 
have  spread  his  name  very  early  amongst  the  exiles,  for 
we  find  him,  in  B.C.  692,  fourteen  years  after  his  deporta- 
tion from  Jerusalem,  classed  by  Ezekiel  with  Noah  and 
Job,  for  his  righteousness,  and  five  years  later  spoken  of 
by  the  same  prophet,  as  the  wisest  of  the  wise,  in  all  that 
concerns  the  secrets  of  the  future.^  But  though  his  high 
position  and  great  name  might  be  a  boast  and  even  a 
protection  to  his  race,  his  visions  of  the  coming  changes 
of  kingdoms  bore  only  indirectly  on  personal  religion. 

^  Menanb  remarks  that  the  vision  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  of  the 
image  of  gold,  silver,  brass,  iron,  and  clay,  reads,  line  by  line,  like 
the  paraphrase  of  some  cuneiform  inscription. 

-  Ezek.  xiv.  12  ;  xxviii.  3. 


COMFORT    YE    MY    PEOPLE.  295 

Much  of  Ezekiel's  teaching  was  equally  general,  needing 
the  lapse  of  time  to  reveal  all  its  significance  ;  while  many 
of  his  discourses  referred  to  events  of  the  day,  like  the 
fall  of  Jerusalem.  The  whole  spirit  of  his  long  ministry, 
however,  urged  the  necessity  for  national  reformation, 
as  a  preliminary  to  the  obtaining  a  return  to  Canaan. 
Jeremiah,  also,  had  for  many  years  preached  the  need  of 
hearty  repentance  and  loyalty  tojehovah,  and  the  power 
of  his  words  increased  \/ith  the  couse  of  years.  But, 
besides  these,  the  portion  of  Isaiah  extending  from  the 
fortieth  chapter  to  the  end  of  the  book,  rich  as  it  is, 
beyond  any  other  portion  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  its 
evangelical  tone,  must  have  given  a  mighty  impulse  to 
the  movement  towards  a  higher  spiritual  life.  It  has 
been  the  subject  of  much  controversy  whether  these 
chapters  were  uttered  by  Isaiah  himself,  or  are  the  com- 
position of  an  unknown  prophet.  The  actual  authorship, 
however,  is  by  no  means  a  vital  question,  if,  as  is  right- 
fully claimed,  the  inspiration  of  the  writer  be  admitted.^ 
Many  books  of  Scripture,  though  anonymous,  are  not  the 
less  sacred  and  canonical,  and  the  second  part  of  Isaiah 
would  not  suffer  in  either  respect,  even  if  another  prophet 
had  written  the  first  section.  However  scholars  may 
find  matter  of  dispute  on  grounds  beyond  popular  ap- 
preciation, the  chief  arguments  advanced  for  a  different 
authorship  of  the  two  portions  are  of  no  weight  to  those 
who  recognise  a  supernatural  element  in  Scripture. 
That  Isaiah  lived  more  than  a  hundred  years  before 
the  Exile  can  be  no  difficulty,  if  we  believe  that  the 
prophets  were  not  only  preachers  to  their  own  genera- 
tion, but  men  inspired  to  predict  things  to  come,  for  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  the  Church.  Even  in  the 
first  part  of  the  book,  moreover,  though  Babylon  had 
*  Delitzsch,  Jes.,  vol.  ii.  p.  138. 


296  COMFOET    YE    MY    PEOPLE. 

not  yet  risen  to  power,  it  is  expressly  named  ^  as  the 
future  oppressor  of  Israel,  and  why  should  it  not  be  in 
the  second  ?  The  Exile  is  foretold  once  and  again  ^  in  the 
first  part,  why  should  it  not  be  dwelt  upon  in  the  other  ? 
Micah,  the  contemporary  of  Isaiah,  had  announced,  in 
words  which  are  universally  accepted  by  critics  as 
genuine,  that  his  countrymen  should  be  carried  off  to 
Babylon.^  In  naming  Cyrus  generations  before  his  birth, 
Isaiah  only  supplied  a  fitting  test  of  the  trustworthiness 
of  the  promises  he  was  commissioned  to  make  to  the 
Church,  and  of  the  supreme  majesty  of  Jehovah  as  the 
revealer  of  things  to  come.  The  writer  of  the  second 
part  speaks,  indeed,  as  if  in  the  midst  of  the  exiles  ;  but 
this  is  of  so  little  weight  that  Ewald  assumes  him  to 
have  lived  in  Egypt,  as  one  of  the  fugitives  who  fled 
thither  with  Jeremiah  after  the  murder  of  Gedaliah.* 

Nor  are  the  arguments  based  on  philological  grounds 
more  conclusive.  The  vocabulary  of  the  second  half 
shows  striking  resemblances  to  that  of  the  first  and  of  the 
earlier  prophets,  and  reveals  equally  marked  differences 
from  that  of  the  later.  While  848  words  of  the  second 
part  are  found  in  the  first,  only  735  of  these  occur  in  the 
exile-prophet  Ezekiel,  though  his  prophecy  is  about  twice 
as  long.  There  are  eight  words  found  in  both  parts  ot 
Isaiah  and  nowhere  else,  but  there  is  only  one  that  is 
peculiar  to  the  second  part  and  the  period  of  the  Exile. 
A  close  comparison  of  the  allusions  in  both  sections,  to 
the  vegetable,  animal,  and  human  kingdoms,  shows  that 
the  ideas  and  local  colouring  are  closely  alike  throughout, 

*  Isa.  xxxix.  6  ff. 

2  Isa.  i.  27  ;  V.  5  flf. ;  xiii.  26 ff.;  vi.  11, 12  ;  x.  5  ff. ;  xii.  20  ;  xi.  11; 
XXX.  12.  3  Mic.  iv.  10. 

^  Seinecke  thinks  he  lived  in  Jerusalem ;  Duhm,  that  he  did 
rot  live  in  Babylon.     Theol  d.  Proph.,  1875,  p.  283. 


COMPORT    YE    MY    PEOPLE.  297 

and  that  in  both  parts  they  do  not  correspond  with  the 
scenery  of  Babylon  or  the  environments  of  one  living 
there.^  The  force  of  the  argument  resting  on  the  rare 
words  common  to  both  divisions  may  be  illustrated  by 
an  example.  There  are  two  Hebrew  nouns,  lior  and  Jnir, 
from  the  root  "  to  be  white/'  meaning  ivJiite  linen.  The 
same  words  are  also  formed  from  an  entirely  different  root, 
'^  to  hollow  out "  and  mean,  in  this  case,  a  hole.  The 
first  part  of  Isaiah  uses  Jwr  for  white  linen,  and  hur  for 
hole,  but  the  later  writers  reverse  this.  The  second  part 
uses  only  Jmr,  but  employs  it  in  the  sense  of  hole,  thus 
differing  from  later  writers,  and  agreeing  with  the  first 
part.  Indeed  this  is  one  of  the  eight  words  occurring  only 
in  the  two  parts  of  Isaiah.  In  the  same  way,  the  word 
'purah,  "  a  winepress,^'  occurs  only  once  in  the  second 
part,  and  once  in  Haggai,  a  prophet  of  the  period  after 
the  Exile.  But  as  the  word  comes  from  the  verb  to 
hruisey  it  must  originally  have  meant  the  upper  part  of 
the  wine-press,  and  it  is  used  in  this  sense  in  Isaiah, 
while  Haggai  uses  it,  as  was  natural  in  a  late  writer,  for 
the  lower  part  of  the  winepress,  into  which  the  juice 
flows. 

Such  arguments  may  seem  minute,  but  they  are  so 
much  the  more  forcible,  and,  in  my  opinion,  irresistible, 
in  the  aggregate.  Wholly  undesigned  coincidences  and 
the  silent  testimony  of  language  may  well  be  set  against 
theoretical  objections,  or  fancied  diversities  of  style  ;  for 
no  ancient  book  is  safe  if  critics  are  to  be  a  priori  judges. 
But  when,  as  in  this  case,  the  very  language  of  the  book 
itself  bears  witness,  there  is  no  room  for  hesitation ;  it 
seems  to  indicate  clearly  that  the  whole  sixty-six  chapters 

^  See  Bib.  Sacra,  1881  and  1882,  in  -which  the  whole  subject 
is  treated  in  the  most  masterly  way  by  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Cobb, 
Uxbridge,  Mass. 


298  COMFOET    YE    MY    PEOPLE. 

are  rightly  ascribed  to  a  single  age  and  a  single 
author.^ 

In  the  first  half  of  his  prophecies,  Isaiah  had  ad- 
dressed the  people  of  his  own  day;  in  the  second  he 
transports  himself  into  the  midst  of  the  exiled  com- 
munity, to  comfort  them  in  their  sorrows,  and  lead  them  to 
sincere  repentance.  The  despair  which  meets  us  in  some 
chapters  of  Ezekiel,^  had  settled  on  them  like  a  thick 
cloud,  and  still  darkened  the  heavens.^  Israel  seemed 
forsaken  by  Jehovah,  its  ways  appeared  to  be  hidden  from 
Him,  and  judgment  against  its  oppressors  to  have  been 
forgotten.  But  the  prophet  knows  how  deeply  this 
feeling  wrongs  both  themselves  and  Jehovah.  After 
contrasting  Jehovah  ^  with  the  idols,  and  Israel  with  the 
heathen,  he  describes,  almost  like  a  fifth  Evangelist,  the 
redemption  to  be  brought  by  the  "  Servant  of  Jehovah  " 
and  His  subsequent  exaltation.^  The  true  Israel  and  the 
false  are  then  contrasted,  the  sins  of  the  unworthy  de- 
nounced, and  the  souls  of  the  faithful  cheered  by  a  vision 
of  future  Messianic  glory.  The  truly  righteous  alone  are 
comforted.  It  is  twice  repeated,  that  "there  is  no  peace 
from  Jehovah  to  the  wicked,"®  whose  awful  fate,  if  they 
remain  impenitent,  is  proclaimed  in  the  final  words — 
"their  worm  shall  not  die,  and  their  fire  shall  not  be 
quenched.'^ 

This  great  inspired  lyric  opens   by  a  command  from 

^  On  the  two  sides  of  this  question,  see  Eeuss,  Gescli.  d.  A. 
Test,  pp.426,  ff.  Stahelin,  in  Studien  u.  Krit,  1830,  vol.  i.; 
1831,  vol.  iii.  Meier,  in  ditto,  1845,  vol.  iv.  Ruetzchi,  in  ditbo, 
1854,  vol.  ii.  Keil's  Einleitung,  p.  236.  Naegelsbach's  Jesaia, 
Einleitung.     Delitzsch's  Jesaia,  pp.  383  ff.,  etc.,  etc. 

2  Ezek.  xxxiii.  10;  xxxvii.  11.  ^  Isa.  xl.  27;  xlix.  14. 

*  Isa.  xl.  48.  *  Isa.  xlix.-lvii. 

6  Isa.  xlviii.  22 ;  Ivii.  21. 


COMFORT    YE    MY    PEOPLE.  299 

Jehovah  to  the  prophets  ^  of  the  day,  to  comfort  His  peo- 
ple in  their  despondency.  Deliverance,  often  promised, 
was  still  delayed.  Jehovah  had  apparently  forsaken 
them,  and  this  wellnigh  cast  them  into  despair.  To 
cheer  away  their  sadness,  they  are  reminded  of  the  un- 
changing love  borne  towards  them  by  God. 

1  Comfort  ye^  (0  ye  prophets),  comfort  ye  My  people,  saith 
your  God.  2  Speak  ye  to  the  (mourning)  heart  of  Jerusalem,  and 
cry  aloud  to  her  (that)  the  time  of  her  affliction'  is  completed,* 
that  (the  penalty  of)  her  guilt  is  paid  off,^  that  she  has  received  of 
the  hand  of  Jehovah  full  punishment  ^  for  all  her  sins. 

While  the  prophet,  awestruck,  listens  to  this  voice  from 
above,  a  second  is  heard  announcing  that  preparations 
for  the  deliverance  of  Israel  are  already  begun.  Jeho- 
vah, Himself,  will  go  at  their  head  and  lead  them  forth 
from  captivity ;  a  highway  being  first  made  ready  across 
the  desert,  as  before  great  princes,^  alike  to  do  Him 
honour  and  to  aid  the  march  of  the  ransomed  host. 

3  Hark !  one  is  calling !  "  Prepare  ye  in  the  wilderness  a 
way  for  Jehovah ;  ^  level  ye  a  road  through  the  desert  for  our 

^  There  were  many  prophets.     Isa.  lii.  8.     Jer.  xxix.  1. 

2  Isa.  xl.  1,  2. 

'  Lit.,  "  service  of  war,"  including  all  the  misery,  hardness, 
and  suffering  of  a  soldier's  life  in  the  field  (Job  vii.  1,  10;  xvii. 
14).  The  Sept.  has  caught  the  meaning  well,  rendering  the 
word  "humiliation." 

*  The  figure  is  from  a  soldier's  time  of  service  being  ended. 
Hosea  had  called  Israel  in  God's  name,  "  Lo-ammi,"  "  not  My 
people"  ;  they  now  are  once  more  "My  people  "  (Hos.  i.  9). 

5  Jer.  1.  20.     Lit.,  "  satisfied." 

^  Lit.,  "  double."  Jer.  xvii.  18.  See  vol.  v.  p.  305.  Gesenius, 
Ewald,  and  some  others,  understand  "double  compensation,"  but 
this  is  not  ^o  suitable. 

7  Arrian,  Exped.  Alex.,  iv.  30.     Diod.  8ic.,  ii.  13. 

^  It  will  be  remembered  that  these  verses  are  understood  by  all 


300  COMFORT    YE    MY    PEOPLE. 

God!*  4  Let  every  hollow-  be  filled  up,  and  every  mountain 
and  hill  made  level,  and  the  stony  places  made  smooth  as  the 
Mislhor,^  and  the  rough  hillocks  a  plain.  Then  shall  the  glory  of 
Jehovah  reveal  itself,  and  all  flesh  shall  see  it; ''"for  the  mouth 
of  Jehovah  has  thus  spoken ! 

The  mention  of  the  glory  of  Jehovah  suggests  the 
contrast  betv^een  it  and  that  of  man,  even  when  repre- 
sented by  the  ruler  of  a  mighty  empire  like  Babylon. 
He  hears  the  voice  that  has  already  spoken,  commanding 
him  to  cry  aloud. 

6  Hark !  a  voice  saying,  "  Cry ! "  And  (the  prophet)  said, 
"  What  shall  I  cry  ?  "  (Say)  All  flesh  is  grass  and  all  its  glory 
like  the  flower  of  the  field.  7  The  grass  dries  up  and  the  flower 
fades,  when  the  wind  of  Jehovah  blows  over  it.  Verily  mankind 
are  but  grass  !  8  The  grass  dries  up,  the  flower  fades,  but  the 
word  of  our  God  shall  stand  for  ever.-^ 

The  prophet  next  passes  in  imagination  to  Palestine, 
and  calls  on  Jerusalem  to  announce  to  the  cities  of  Judah 
that  their  God  is  coming,  at  the  head  of  the  exiles. 

9  Get  thee  up  to  the  high  mountain,  O  Zion,  thou  announcer 
of  glad  tidings  :    lift  up  thy  voice  mightily,  O  Jerusalem,  thou 

the  Evangelists  to  refer  to  John  the  Baptist,  so  that  we  have  their 
inspired  authority  for  applying  the  verses  that  follow,  not  only 
to  the  Eeturn,  but,  in  a  far  grander  sense,  to  the  Advent  of 
Salvation  by  the  Incarnation  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  King  Messiah 
of  the  spiritual  and  immortal  kingdom  of  God. 

^  When  the  Sultan  was  about  to  visit  Broussa,  in  Asia  Minor, 
in  1845,  a  proclamation  was  issued,  ordering  the  stones  along 
the  route  to  be  gathered  out,  hollows  filled  up,  and  rough  places 
smoothed.  It  was  the  same  when  Ibrahim  Pasha  visited  the 
Lebanon  districts.  Land  avd  Booh,  p.  77.  It  is  to  be  remembered 
that  there  are  no  roads  in  ihe  East,  in  our  sense  of  the  term. 

2  Heb.  "  gai."  »  See  vol.  ii.  p.  374. 

^  Ewald  has,  "  His  salvation." 

*  The  Divine  promise  of  the  deliverance  of  Israel  from  Babylon. 


COMFORT    YE    MY    PEOPLE.  301 

proclaimer  of  good  news  !  Lift  it  up  !  Be  not  afraid !  Cry  to  the 
towns  of  Judah,  "  Behold  your  God  !  "  lo  Behold,  the  Lord  Jeho- 
vah will  come  as  a  Mighty  One  :  His  (strong)  arm  will  uphold 
His  rule;  behold,  His  reward  is  with  Him  and  His  recompense 
before  Him.^ 

Israel  was  the  flock  of  Jehovah,^  for  two  generations 
scattered  and  wretched,  but  now  gathered  once  more 
into  the  green  pastures  of  their  own  land.  This  was 
"  the  reward'^  of  Jehovah. 

11  He  shall  feed  His  flock  like  a  shepherd ;  He  shall  gather 
the  lambs  in  His  arms,  and  carry  them  in  His  bosom,^  and  gently 
lead  those  that  are  giving  suck.^ 

The  redemption  of  Israel  from  Babylon  was,  however, 
so  mighty  an  undertaking,  that  it  might  seem  impossible. 
But  to  this  comes  the  answer,  that  Jehovah  is  Almighty. 
No  human  counsel  was  equal  to  carry  it  through,  but 
Jehovah  is  All- Wise.  What  though  the  heathen  might 
oppose  them  ?     Who  are  they  to  resist  God  ? 

12  Who  hath  measured  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand, 
and  meted  out  the  heaven  with  the  span,  and  put  the  dust  of  the 
earth  into  a  measure,^  and  weighed  the  mountains  in  a  steelyard. 


^  This  passage  may  refer  to  the  ransomed  exiles  as  the  reward 
and  recompense  of  His  might,  exerted  on  their  behalf. 

2  Ps.  Ixxvii.  20;  Ixxx.  1.  Jer.  xiii.  17;  xxxi.  10;  1.  19.  Ezek. 
xxxiv.  11-16. 

^  The  great  pocket-like  fold  of  his  loose  tunic.  A  figure  from 
Jewish  customs.  Num.  xi.  12.  Isa.  Ix.  12 ;  Ixvi.  12.  See  vol.  v. 
p.  380. 

''  See  Gen.  xxxiii.  13.  To  drive  the  flocks  too  quickly,  even  for 
a  single  day,  would  kill  those  that  were  giving  suck.  Gesenius. 
Isa.  ii.  40.     Land  and  Book,  p.  20-i. 

*  A  shalish — the  third  of  an  ephah,  which  is  given  by  Josephus 
as  over  eight  gallons,  and  by  the  Eabbis  as  over  four. 


302  COMFORT   YE    MY   PEOPLE. 

and  the  hills  in  a  balance  ?  13  Who  has  directed^  the  Spirit  of 
Jehovah,  or,^  as  His  counsellor,  has  taught  Him?  14  With 
whom  has  He  deliberated,  that  he  whom  He  thus  consulted  might 
give  Him  information,  and  teach  Him  the  right  way,  and  supply 
Him  with  knowledge,  and  show  Him  the  path  of  wisdom  ? 
15  Behold,  nations  are  counted  by  Him  as  a  drop  from  a  bucket, 
and  as  a  grain  of  dust  on  the  balance  :  behold,  He  lifts  up  the 
isles  like  fine  dust,^  and  (the  forests  of)  Lebanon  are  not  suflB- 
cient  to  burn  (on  His  altar),  nor  its  wild  beasts  for  a  burnt- 
offering!  17  All  the  nations  are  as  nothing  before  Him — in 
His  eyes  they  are  as  things  of  nought ;  as  if  they  were  only  an 
empty  nothing  !  ^ 

So  great  is  Jehovah.  Yet  men  have  worshipped  idols, 
which  their  own  hands  have  made,  as  similitudes  of  the 
Eternal.  The  ricli  have  idols  of  gold,  the  poor  of  wood,  but 
how  could  either  think  that  their  images  were  like  Him 
who  reigns,  unseen,  in  the  heavens  ?  The  infinite  dis- 
tance between  Him  and  even  the  greatest  of  earth,  shows 
that  He  cannot  be  embodied  in  outward  form.  It  is 
monstrous  even  to  think  of  it. 

18  To  whom  then  will  ye  liken  (this  great)  God,  and  under 
what  likeness  will  ye  represent  Him?  19  The  craftsman  casts 
the  image,  the  goldsmith  covers  it  over  with  plates  of  gold,  and 
forges  silver  chains  (to  hold  it  in  its  niche).  20  The  poor  man, 
who  can  offer  little  to  his  god,  choses  a  log  that  is  free  from 
wormholes,  and  then  seeks  a  skilled  workman,  to  set  up  (from  it) 
an  idol  which  cannot  move  from  its  place. 

21  Know  you  not?  Have  ye  not  heard?  Has  it  not  been  told 
you  from  the  beginning  ?    Have  ye  not  known  from  the  foundation 

^  The  same  word  as  "  meted  oat,"  in  ver.  12.  The  question  is 
equivalent  to.  Who  has  contributed  help  to  the  wisdom  and 
omnipotence  of  God? 

2  What  man. 

^  "  Dak,"  the  word  here,  may  also  mean  a  withered  ear  of  corn. 

*  Lit.,  "  And  as  emptiness"— the  word  used,  "  Tohu,"  is  that 
applied  to  the  vacancy  of  chaos  before  creation  began. 


COMFORT   YE    MY   PEOPLE.  303 

of  the  earth?  22  (God  is)  He  who  sits  throned  over  the  vault  of 
the  earth — its  inhabitants,  (shewing  far  beneath)  like  grasshop- 
pers; who  has  stretched  out  the  hollow  heavens  as  a  transparent 
veil,^  and  spread  them  out  as  a  tent  to  dwell  in;  23  who  brings 
princes 2  to  nothing;  who  makes  the  judges  of  the  earth  as  less 
than  nought.^  24  They  are  scarcely  planted ;  they  are  scarcely 
sown ;  scarcely  has  their  stock  taken  root  in  the  earth,  when  He 
blows  on  them  and  they  shrivel  up,  and  the  storm-wind  sweeps 
them  away  like  chaff  (from  the  threshing  floor). 

25  To  whom,  then,  will  ye  liken  Me  that  I  may  resemble  him, 
saith  the  Holy  One  ?  Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high  and  behold :  who 
has  created  these  things  ?  It  is  Jehovah !  He  leads  out  their 
host  in  numbered  array,^  and  reads  out  the  roll-call  of  all  their 
names.  In  awe  of  His  great  might  and  the  majesty  of  His 
power,  not  one  fails  (to  answer).^ 

The  long  delay  in  the  deliverance  from  Babylon  had 
sunk  Israel  in  despondency,  as  if  God  had  forgotten 
them,  or  overlooked  their  interests  amidst  the  cares  of 
His  immeasurable  empire.  But  it  was  utterly  wrong 
and  foolish  to  think  so. 

27  Wliy  sayest  thou,  0  Jacob,  and  speakest,  0  Israel,  "  My  way 
is  hidden  from  Jehovah :  my  right  has  been  overlooked  by  my 
God?"  28  Dost  thou  not  know,  hast  thou  not  heard — the  eternal 
God,  Jehovah,  is  the  Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth,  who  faints 
not,  neither  is  weary  ;  there  is  no  searching  of  His  understand- 
ing. 29  He  gives  strength  to  the  weary  and  renews  the  powers 
of  the  faint.  30  Yea,  though  even  youths  may  faint  and  be 
exhausted,  and  young  men  fall  down,  31  yet  they  that  trust  in 
Jehovah  ^  shall  get  fresh  strength ;  they  will  lift  up  their  wings 
like  eagles,-^  they  will  run  and  not  be  weary,  they  will  walk  and 
not  faint ! 

^  Lit.,  **  the  finest  cloth,"  through  which  one  can  see.  The  word 
occurs  only  once  in  the  Bible.  The  heavens  are  the  tent  cloth 
over  the  earth. 

2  Lit, ''the  heavy  "  =  "  the  august."  ^  Heb.,  Tohu  =  chaos. 

*  Like  soldiers  moving  abreast  in  their  battalions. 

«  To  the  roll  call.  «  Or,  wait  for.  ?  2  Sam.  i.  23. 


304  COMFORT    YE    MY    PEOPLE. 

The  prophet  now  passes  to  another  step  in  his  great 
argument.  Present,  in  spirit,  in  the  times  immediately 
preceding  the  Return,  he  describes  Jehovah  as  summon- 
ing the  heathen  nations  before  Him,  to  judge  between 
His  claims  and  those  of  idol-gods,  from  the  predicted 
career  of  the  appointed  deliverer  of  His  people — Cyrus, 
the  Elamite.  He  had  raised  him  up  and  made  him  tri- 
umphant, nor  could  the  idols  resist  his  might. 

I  Be  silent  before  Me,*  0  islands  (and  coasts  of  the  west),^  and 
let  the  peoples  collect  their  strength  anew,  (to  oppose  Me,  and  de- 
fend their  gods)  ;  let  them  come  near  and  speak ;  let  us  come 
together,  and  argue  the  matter  (between  Me  and  their  idols). 
2  "  Who  raised  up  from  the  East  ^  the  man  whom  the  right- 
eousness (of  Jehovah)  calleth  to  follow  His  steps,"*  giving  up 
the  nations  before  him,  and  making  him  tread  on  (the  necks  of) 
kings ;  making  them  like  dust  before  his  sword,  and  like  stubble 
driven  by  the  wind,  before  his  bow.  3  He  pursued  them,  he 
marched  on  safely  ^  by  ways  which  his  feet  had  not  trodden 
before.^ 

4  "Who  did  all  this  and  carried  it  out?  I  who  have  called  (to 
life)  the  generations  (of  men)  from  the  beginning — I,  Jehovah, 
the  First,  and  with  the  Last — the  Everlasting  I."  ^ 

The  terror  of  all  lands,  before  him  whom  Jehovah  thus 
sent  against  them,  was  overwhelming.  Men  appealed 
to  their  gods,  set  up  new  ones,   encouraged   each  other 

I  Isa.  xli.  1-7.  2  Threatened  by  Cyrus. 

3  Elam  was  east  of  Babylon.  In  ver.  25  Cyrus  is  said  to  come 
from  the  North,  because  Media,  which  also  he  ruled,  was  north 
of  Babylon. 

^  This  seems  to  me  the  best  rendering  of  the  clause.  Diestel 
and  many  others  render  righteousness  as  equivalent  to  victory — 
and  read,  "  Whom  victory  meets  at  every  footstep." 

^  Lit.,  "  in  peace." 

^  The  Assyrian  kings  often  boast  of  marching  over  countries 
never  before  invaded,  or  trackless. 

'  Isa.  xlviii.  6 ;  xlviii.  12. 


COMFOET    YE    MY    PEOPLE.  305 

to  hope  in  them — but  all  in  vain.  Before  Cyrus  took 
Babylon,  he  had  marched  in  triumph  from  the  heights  of 
the  Hindu  Koosh  to  the  shores  of  the  Grecian  Archi- 
pelago, humbling  nation  after  nation.^ 

5  The  isles  -  (and  coasts)  saw  and  were  afraid,  the  ends  of  the 
earth  ^  trembled — they  draw  together  and  come  to  each  other  (to 
unite  and  ally  themselves  against  the  dreaded  invader).  6  Every 
one  helps  his  neighbour  and  says  to  his  fellow,  "  Be  strong."  ■* 

Especially  is  this  the  case  with  the  makers  of  idols. 
They  propose  to  make  new  gods  from  whom  to  ask 
counsel  and  obtain  protection. 

7  The  metal-founder  cheers  the  maker  of  gold  and  silver  plates, 
and  he  that  fits  them  on  the  idol,  and  smooths  them  with  the 
hammer,  cheers  up  the  smith  who  works  at  the  anvil,  saying  of 
the  work  when  put  together,  "  It  is  beautiful,"  and  he  makes  it 
fast  with  nails  that  it  may  not  fall.  ^ 

Yet,  if  the  heathen  had  reason  to  be  terrified,  Israel 
need  not  fear. 

8  But  thou,  Israel,  My  servant,  Jacob  whom  I  have  chosen,  the 
sons  of  Abraham,  My  friend,^  9  thou  whom  I  have  brought  from 
the  ends  of  the  earth  and  called  from  its  uttermost  parts,  ^  and 
said  to  thee,  Thou  art  My  servant;  I  have  chosen  thee  and  have 
not  cast  thee  off  (since).     lo  Fear  not,  for  I  am  with   thee;  look 

^  Pahle's  Gesch.  des  Orient.  AUerthittas,  p.  170. 

-  The  word  rendered  "  isles  "  means  also  "  coasts." 

^  The  Westlands  =  Europe. 

^  Herodotus   tells   us    that    Egyptians,    Thracians,    Cypriotes, 

.  Arabs,  Phenicians,  Greeks,  and  people  of  Asia  Minor,  were  united 

under  Croesus  of  Lydia,  to  oppose  Cyrus.    Herod.,  i.  28,  69,  70,  77. 

^  This  would  be  the  worst  of  omens. 

«  Lit.,  "  that  loved  Me." 

7  Either  of  the  call  of  Abraham  from  Mesopotamia,  or  of  that 
of  Israel  from  Egypt,  though  rhis  is  not  so  suitable,  since  Egypt 
was  hardly  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  the  Jew. 

VOL.    VI.  X 


306 


COMFORT    YE    MY    PEOPLE, 


not  round  (in  terror),  ^  for  I  am  thy  God,  I  will  help  thee,  yea, 

I  will  hold  thee  up  with  the  right  hand  of  My  righteousness. 

II  Behold  all  they  that  burned  with  rage  against  thee  shall 
be  ashamed  and  confounded,  they  who  strove  with  thee  will  be 
brought  to  nought  and  perish.  12  Thou  shalt  seek  them  but 
shalt  not  find  them ;  those  who  contended  with  thee,  and  they 
who  fought  against  thee,  shall  be  brought  to  nought  and  utterly 
destroyed.  13  For  I,  Jehovah,  thy  God,  hold  fast  thy  right  hand  ; 
I  who  say  to  thee  "  Fear  not," — I  will  help  thee. 


Theeshing  Sledge. 


Instead  of  being  crushed,  Israel  will,  with  God's  help, 
destroy  all  its  foes. 

1 5  Fear  not,  thou  worm  Jacob,  ye  feeble  folk  of  Israel :  I  will 
help  thee,   says   Jehovah;  thy  Eedeemer^  is   the  Holy  One  of 


^  Or  for  help,  Gesenius. 

2  Heb.,  Goel.  Gen.  xlviii.  16.  Lev.  xxv.  25,  26.  Num.  v.  8; 
XXXV.  12;  XXXV.  19.  Ruth  iv.  1.  Job  xix.  25.  Ps.  xix.  14;  Ixxviii. 
35.    Isa.  xliii.  14  :  xliv.  6,  24 ;  xlvii.  4 ;  etc.  etc.     For  the  meaning 


COMFORT   YE    MY   PEOPLE.  307 

Israel.  Behold,  I  will  make  thee  a  threshing  sledge,  sharp, 
new,  with  many  cutting-stones  in  its  roller;  ^  thou  shalt  thresh 
mountains  and  crush  them  small,  and  make  hills'^  as  chaff. 
i6  Thou  shalt  winnow  them,  and  the  wind  shall  carry  them  away 
and  the  tempest  shall  scatter  them;  but  tJiou  shalt  exult  in 
Jehovah  and  glory  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel. 

The  misery  of  the  Exile  and  the  joy  that  is  to  follow 
are  again  painted.  Even  the  desert,  which  they  must 
cross  to  regain  Canaan,  will  blossom  before  them.  How 
much  more  glorious  then  will  be  their  own  land  itself ! 

17  The  distressed  and  poor  ones— (the  flock  of  Israel  coming 
back  from  Babylon),  seek  water  (in  the  desert)  and  there  is  none, 
and  their  tongue  is  dried  up  for  thirst !  (Buc)  I,  Jehovah,  will 
hear  them:  the  God  of  Israel  will  not  forsake  them!  18  I  will 
open  streams  on  the  bare  hills  in  the  midst  of  the  plains  :  ^  I  will 
make  the  wilderness  ponds  of  water,^  and  parched  land  spring- 
heads *  of  water.  19  (And  to  give  you  shade  and  fruit  on  your 
march),  I  will  make  the  cedar  grow  in  the  wilderness,  the  acacia, 
the  myrtle,  ^  and  the  olive ;  I  will  plant  in  the  desert  the  cypress, 

of  the  word,  see  vol.  iii.  p.  14.     The  idea  is,  one  charged  with  the 
task  of  restoring  the  rights  of  another  and  avenging  his  wrongs. 
1  See  vol.  iv.  p.  372.     Mic.  iv.  13. 

*  Those  who  opposed  the  deliverance  of  the  exiles. 

'  The  word  is  applied  in  Scripture  to  "the  Valley  of  Jericho," 
"  the  Plain  of  Dura  "  at  Babylon,  and  '*  the  plain  of  Mesopotamia." 
Jericho  did  not  lie  in  a  valley,  but  on  a  plain. 

^  The  Heb.  word  (sing.)  is  used  specially  of  the  pools  left  by 
the  Nile  after  its  inundations.  Similar  figures  are  used  Isa.  xxx. 
25  ;  xxxiii.  7  ;  xliv.  3,  4. 

*  The  word  is  from  the  verb  to  **  go  forth." 

"  The  Heb.  word  "  hadas,"  the  myrtle,  occurs  elsewhere  only  Isa. 
Iv.  13,  and  in  post-exilic  books,  Neh.  viii.  15  ;  Zech.  i.  8,  10,  11. 
The  name  Hadassah,  '*  the  myrtle,"  is  found  in  Esth.  ii.  7.  But 
myrtles  grew  wild  in  Palestine,  and  there  is  no  older  name  used 
for  them,  so  that  no  argument  for  the  age  of  the  second  part 
of  this  Book  can  be  founded  on  Isaiah  being  the  first  to  refer  to 
the  myrtle. 


308 


COMFORT   YE    MY   PEOPLE. 


the  plane,  and  the  fig  tree/  20  that  they  may  both  see  and 
acknowledge,  and  consider  and  take  to  heart,  that  the  hand  of 
Jehovah  has  done  this,  and  that  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  has 
created  it. 

The  prophet  now  reverts  to  the  controversy  with  the 
idols,  proposed  by  Jehovah  in  the  opening  of  the  chapter. 
He  no  longer,  however,  addresses  their  worshippers,  but 

speaks  to  the  idols 
themselves.  They  are 
nothing,  since  they 
have  not  foreknown, 
far  less  brought  about, 
the  great  events  by 
which  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  to  be  promoted. 
Jehovah  alone  knew 
these  beforehand  and 
caused  their  realiza- 
tion. 

21     "Bring      forward 
your  case  (O  ye  idols)," 
says  Jehovah,  "  produce 
your  strong  arguments ^ 
(in  your  defence)"  says  the 
King  of  Jacob.     22  Yes, 
The  Plawb  Tree  (Platanus  Oeientalis).         l^t  them  bring  them  for- 
ward,  and   tell  us    what 
will  happen  hereafter !     Let  them  tell  what  will  happen  in  the 
immediate  future,  that  we  may  note  it  and  watch  the  issue,  or 


^  These  last  two  names  are  uncertain.  The  one  has  been 
rendered  "  the  elm,"  "  the  plane,"  and  "  the  fig,"  the  other  "  the 
elm,"  "  the  box,"  the  "  Scherbin-cedar  "  of  Lebanon,  and  '*  the 
fig."  1  choose  "  fig  "  as  the  counterpart  of  "  olive*'  in  the  former 
clause. 

2  Lit.,  "  grounds  of  defence." 


COMPORT   YE    MY   PEOPLE.  309 

let  us  hear  what  lies  hidden  in  times  more  remote.*  23  B-eveal 
what  is  to  happen  hereafter,  that  we  may  acknowledge  yoa  to  be 
gods  ;  do  good  or  do  evil — (do  something) — that  we  may  at  once 
wonder  and  behold.  24  Lo,  ye  are  airy  nothings,^  and  your 
works  are  the  same;^  he  is  an  abomination  who  chooses  you  (for 
his  gods) ! 

25  I  (Jehovah)  have  raised  up  one  from  the  north^  and  he  is 
come;  from  the  rising  of  the  sun*  he  calls  on  My  name  !  He 
shall  trample  on  lofty  princes  as  if  they  were  mortar,^  and  as  the 
potter  treads  the  clay.  26  Who  foretold  this  from  the  beginning, 
that  we  might  know  it  ?  Who  announced  it  beforehand,  that  we 
might  say  He  is  right  ?  There  is  no  man  amongst  you  who 
predicted  it — no  one  that  revealed  it — no  one  that  heard  a  word 
from  you  on  these  matters!'  27  I,  Jehovah,  first  said  to  Zion, 
*'  Behold,  behold  them,"*  and  gave  Jerusalem  a  bearer  of  the  glad 
news.®  28  But  wlien  I  look  (among  your  false  prophets)  there  is 
no  one  among  their  whole  crowd,^"  (who  has  foretold  the  future 
as  I  have  done)  there  is  no  counsellor  that  I  may  ask  through 
him,  and  get  any  answer.  29  Beliold  they  are  all  vanity;  they 
can  do  nothing;  their  molten  images  are  wind  and  emptiness  !" 

*  Or,  let  them  tell  the  first  beginnings  of  things  in.  the  past,  or 
what  lies  hidden  in  the  future. 

2  Lit.,  *'  spring  from  nothing." 

^  The  word  as  it  stands  in  the  Hebrew  occurs  nowhere  else, 
and  is  unintelligible.  The  Vulg.  and  other  versions  adopt  an 
emendation,  meaning  "  of  nought." 

''  Media. 

*  Elam — Cyrus  united  Media,  Elam  and  Persia  under  him. 

*  Mortar  is  made  in  the  East  by  treading. 
'f  Lit.,  "  your  words." 

*  The  things  to  come,  or  the  returning  exiles. 

^  "  The   first   who   gave   a   herald  of   good  to  Zion,    even  to 
Jerusalem — one  who  said,  Behold,  behold  them." — Ewald. 
i«  Lit.,  "  them." 
»  Tohu. 


^SL^A 


CHAPTER  XV, 

THE    FIFTH   GOSPEL. 

THE  second  part  of  Isaiah  evidently  consists,  like 
the  other  prophetical  writings,  of  a  series  of  public 
addresses,  or  compositions  which  are  parts  of  a  related 
whole.  The  great  prophet-poet  returns  again  and  again 
to  his  task  of  comforting  the  people  of  God,  not  only 
under  the  sorrows  of  exile,  but  under  the  deeper 
trial  of  an  apparently  long  delay  in  the  appearance  of 
the  promised  Messiah,  who  should  "  restore  Israel/' 
He  had  already  spoken  of  his  nation  as  '^  the  servant  of 
Jehovah/'^  but  he  now  uses  the  title  in  a  way  incom- 
patible with  a  merely  figurative  and  collective  meaning. 
Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,^  like  him,  had  applied  it  to  the 
Chosen  People,  but  in  many  passages  of  Isaiah  it  is 
associated  with  striking  personal  traits  which  imply 
some  individual  reference.  It  cannot  refer  to  the  pro- 
phet himself,  for  the  dignity  ascribed  to  the  Servant  of 
Jehovah  is  far  above  that  of  any  prophet,  and  implies 
much  that  no  man  could  ever  perform.  Hence  even 
the  Targum  applies  the  phrase  to  the  Messiah,  thus 
showing   the  sense  in  which  it  has   been   instinctively 

»  Tsa.  xli.  8. 

«  Jer.  XXX.  10;  xlvi.  27,  28.     Ezek.  xxxvii.  25. 

310 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.     •  311 

understood,  by  the  Jews  themselves,  from  the  earliest 
times,  and  pointing  out  the  only  adequate  application. 
The  view  of  the  subject  taken  by  Delitzsch  and  Oehler, 
and  adopted  by  Cheyne,  seems  to  me,  therefore,  sub- 
stantially correct.  The  conception  of  the  Servant  of 
God,  we  are  told,  may  be  compared  to  a  pyramid. 
The  base  is  Israel  as  a  whole ;  above  that  is  Israel  in  a 
spiritual  sense,  and  the  apex  is  the  person  of  the  medi- 
ating Saviour  who  rose  out  of  Israel.^  "  In  its  highest 
application,^'  says  Delitzsch,  "  I  regard  it  as  a  prefigura- 
tion  of  the  suffering  and  glorified  Redeemer,  Jesus  Christ, 
our  Lord ;  as  indeed,  many  passages  of  the  New  Testament 
directly  intimate.^' 

Israel  as  a  whole  is,  thus,  in  a  lower  sense,  the  Servant 
of  Jehovah ;  but  this  dignity  the  prophet  now  ascribes 
to  one  who  is  the  flower  and  glory  of  the  people  of  God, 
His  '^  Servant ''  in  the  sublimest  fulness  of  the  term, 
through  whom  His  gracious  designs,  carried  so  far 
towards  their  fulfilment  by  Israel  as  a  nation,  are  to 
be  triumphantly  completed.  The  judgments  of  God  on 
the  heathen,  casting  contempt  on  their  idols,  must  be 
accomplished  by  the  conqueror  of  the  nations,  but  the 
Servant  of  God  will  bring  to  mankind  at  large  the  highest 
of  all  blessings,  as  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

1  Behold  My  servant^  whom  I  uphold;  My  elect,  in  whom  My 
soul  delighteth.^  I  bave  put  My  Spirit  upon  him  ;  My  law  shall 
he  make  known  to  tKe  nations.^      2  He  shall  not  cry  nor  shout, 

^  Delitzsch,  lesaia,  p.  414.  Oehler,  Old  Test.  Theol.,  vol.  ii. 
p.  399.     Cheyne,  Isaiah,  vol.  i.  p.  253. 

2  Isa.  xlii. 

8  Matt.  xii.  18;  xix.  20.  Phil.  ii.  7.  Matt.  iii.  17;  xvii.  5. 
Eph.  i.  6.     Isa.  iii.  34. 

■*  "Law,"  Heb.,  Mishpat.  Even  Gesenius  remarks  that  the 
sense  in  which  the  word  is  to  be  taken  is  shown  by  ver.  4  and 


312  THE       FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

nor  cause  his  voice  to  be  heard  in  the  street ;  3  a  bruised  reed 
shall  he  not  break  off  and  a  faintly  glimmering  wick  shall  he  nob 
quench;  he  shall  make  known  the  law  accoiding  to  truth.  4  He 
will  not  faint  or  give  way^  till  he  has  established  the  Law  in  the 
earth,  and  the  nations ^  will  (eagerly)  look  for  his  teaching.* 

The  Servant  of  Jehovah  is  now  directly  addressed, 
and  the  work  He  is  commissioned  to  do  is  more  minutely 
defined.  Its  greatness  is  to  be  estimated  by  the  sub- 
limity of  the  language  in  which  it  is  introduced. 

5  Thus  says  God,^  Jehovah,  that  created  the  heavens  and 
stretched  them  out;  that  spread  out  the  earth  and  all  that  springs 
from  it ;  that  gives  health  to  its  population  and  life  to  them  that 
walk  on  it ;  6  I,  Jehovah,  have  called  thee  in  righteousness  and 
will  hold  thy  hand,  and  will  keep  thee  (in  My  care),  and  give 
thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,^  for  a  light  of  the  nations;  7  to 
open  blind  eyes,  to  bring  out  prisoners  from  the  dungeon,  and 
those  that  sit  in  darkness  from  the  prison  houses.* 

To  this  announcement  respecting  the  Servant  of 
Jehovah,  the  prophet  hastens  to  add  that  Jehovah,  who 
has  been  silent  so  long,  will  speedily  go  forth  against  the 
oppressor  of  His  people,  and  when  they  are  freed,  will 
lead  them  back  to  their  own  land  amidst  the  rejoicings 
of  mankind. 

chap.  li.  4,  adding  that  it  means  "the  law  of  God,  the  religion  of 
Jehovah."  Jesaia,  vol.  ii.  p.  60.  Mishpat  comes  from  the  root 
"to  judge." 

*  Same  word  as  "  break  off." 

2  Lit.,  "  islands." 

3  His  "  Torah,"  his  teaching  of  the  law  of  God. 

*  Lit.,  "The  God"  the  true  God,  in  contrast  to  idols. 

5  The  mediator  of  a  covenant  between  Jehovah  and  Israel.  See 
for  similar  expressions,  Isa.  xlix.  6  ;  Mai.  v.  5;  John  xi.  25.  The 
covenant  is  that  promised  in  Jer.  xxxi.  31-34. 

®  Dungeons  were,  thus,  underground  and  without  light.  So 
it  was  in  the  case  of  Jeremiah—shut  up  in  a  subterranean  cistern. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  313 

8  I  am  Jehovah,  that  is  My  name,  and  My  glory  will  I  not  give 
to  another,  neither  My  praise  to  graven  images.  9  Behold,  the 
first  things  (I  foretold)  are  come  to  pass  :  ^  I  now  announce  what 
is  new :  before  it  springs  forth  ^  I  tell  you  of  it. 

10  Sing  to  Jehovah  a  new  song  ;  His  praise  from  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  ye  that  go  down  to  the  sea,^  and  all  that  sail  upon  its 
waters  ;  *  its  coasts  and  islands,  and  all  that  dwell  in  them.  1 1  Let 
the  wilderness  and  its  settled  villages  lift  up  their  voice,  and 
the  encampments  that  Kedar  ^  inhabits.  Let  the  inhabitants  of 
the  rock  city — Selah  ^ — shout  for  joy,  let  them  rejoice  aloud  from 
the  top  of  the  mountains.  12  Let  men  give  glory  to  Jehovah, 
and  proclaim  His  praise  to  the  islands.  13  Jehovah  will  go  forth 
as  a  mighty  warrior;  He  will  rouse  Himself  (against  the  enemies 
of  His  people),  like  a  man  of  (many)  wars  :  He  will  shout,  yea 
roar  (the  cry  of  battle) ;  He  will  show  Himself  a  Hero  against 
His  foes. 

Jehovah  Himself  tells  us  why  He  will  thus  make  bare 
His  mighty  arm. 

14  I  have  long  held  My  peace,  I  have  been  still  and  restrained 
Myself.  But,  now,  I  will  raise  the  battle  cry,  loud  as  that  of  a 
woman  in  her  trouble ;  I  will,  at  once,  breathe  thick  ('in  My  fury) 
and  snort  (in  My  burning  indignation).  15  I  will  wither  the 
mountains  and  hills,  and  dry  up  all  their  herbage  (with  the  fiery 
breath  of  My  wrath).  I  will  turn  streams  to  dry  land  (by  it),  and 
dry  up  the  pools  of  water  (with  its  scorching  heat).  16  And  (having 
freed  My  people  from  the  oppressor)  I  will  lead  them  as  one  leads 
the  blind,  by  a  way  which  they  knew  not :  I  will  bring  them  by 
paths  they  have  not  known  :  I  will  make  the  night  of  the  track- 

*  The  career  of  Cyrus  as  world-conqueror,  etc. 

2  The  figure  is  from  the  budding  of  a  tree. 

3  From  the  hills  on  which  Judah  lived. 

'*  Lit.,  "  its  fulness."  Cheyne  and  others  apply  the  phrase  to  the 
fish,  but  this  is  quite  out  of  keeping  with  the  context. 

^  Kedar,  "  living  in  tents,"  as  distinguished  from  the  towns  of 
the  settled  Arabs ;  a  contrast  still  maintained  in  the  East. 

«  Or,  Petra. 


314  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

less  desert  light  before  thera,^  and  rough  places  smooth  as  the 
mislior.^    These  words  I  will  perform ;  I  will  not  fail. 

Awed  by  this,  and  smitten  by  the  hand  of  God,  the 
heathen  will  be  kept  from  impeding  the  return  of  His 
people. 

17  They  shall  shrink  back;  they  shall  be  ashamed  that  trust 
in  graven  images,  that  say  to  the  molten  images, "  Ye  are  our 
gods." 

Israel  is  now  addressed.  Though  thus  to  be  freed  by 
the  hand  of  Jehovah,  it  had  no  claim  to  be  so  from  any 
merits  of  its  own.  Called  to  be  the  servant  of  Jehovah, 
it  had  been  ^'  unprofitable/^  and  the  Captivity,  with  all  its 
sorrows,  had  been  punishment  divinely  inflicted  for  long 
continued  sin.  The  same  thought  is  repeated  by  Ezekiel, 
in  the  words  *'  I  do  not  this  for  your  sakes,  O  House  of 
Israel,  but  for  My  holy  name's  sake,  which  ye  have  pro- 
faned among  the  heathen,  whither  ye  went.''  ^  Another 
and  infinitely  higher  "  Servant "  must  take  the  place  of 
one  so  deaf  and  blind  to  the  voice  and  wonders  of  Jeho- 
vah as  Israel  had  been,  and  carry  out  His  work  ! 

18  Hear  ye  deaf,  and  look  ye  blind,  that  ye  may  see.  19  Who 
is  blind,  but  (Israel),  My  servant?  or  deaf  as  he — My  messenger 
whom  I  sent?  Who  is  blind  as  he  who  was  trusted  by  God;* 
or  blind  as  Jehovah's  servant !  20  Thou  hasb  seen  much,  yet 
hast  not  observed  it ;  thou  hast  opened  thine  ears,  but  hast  not 
paid  heed.  21  Jehovah  was  pleased,  for  His  righteousness'  sake, 
to  give  (thee)  great  and  glorious  22  teaching  of  His  Law  (through 

^  Their  ignorance  of  the  way  was  like  the  darkness  of  one 
blind.  The  desert  is  often  spoken  of  as  dark,  in  this  sense.  Isa. 
xlv.  19.    Jer.  ii.  6,  31.    Job  xii.  25 ;  xviii.  18  ;  xxx.  3. 

2  Vol.  ii.  p.  374. 

3  Ezek.  xxxvi.  22,  32,  etc. 

*  Friend  of  God.     Gesenius.    Knohel» 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  315 

the  prophets).  Yet  (instead  of  the  good  it  should  have  brought), 
Israel  is  (to-day)  a  people  robbed  and  spoiled  ;  shut  up  in  dungeons, 
hid  in  prisons,  a  prey,  without  a  deliverer  ;  a  spoil,  with  no  one 
to  say  "give  back."  23  Who  among  you  will  listen  to  this 
and  attend,  and  give  heed  for  time  to  come?  24  Who  was  it 
that  gave  Jacob  for  a  spoil,  and  Israel  to  robbers  ?  Was  it  not 
Jehovah,  against  whom  we  have  sinned  ?  in  whose  ways  Israel 
would  not  walk,  and  whose  law  he  would  not  obey  ?  25  It  was 
for  this  He  poured  the  fury  of  His  anger  on  him,  and  the  miseries 
of  war.  These  set  him  on  flames  round  about,  but  he  did  not 
recognise  God's  hand ;  they  burned  amidst  his  sons,  yet  he  laid 
it  not  to  heart. 

Yet  Israel,  though  thus  blind  and  deaf,  and  to  a  great 
extent  impenitent,  will  be  redeemed  and  re-established 
gloi-iously,  since  Jehovah  has  chosen  the  nation  and 
loves  it. 

I  Yet,  now,  thus  says  Jehovah,*  who  created  thee,  0  Jacob,  and 
He  that  formed  thee,  O  Israel ;  fear  not,  for  I  will  redeem  thee,^  I 
have  called  thee  by  thy  name — "My  people;"  thou  art  Mine. 
2  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  shall  be  with  thee, 
and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee ;  when  thou 
walkest  through  the  fire,  thou  shalt  not  be  burned,  neither  shall 
the  flame  kindle  upon  thee  !  3  For  I,  Jehovah,  am  thy  God;  I, 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  am  thy  Saviour.  I  give  Egypt  for  thy 
ransom,  Ethiopia  and  Sheba  in  thy  stead.^  4  Because  thou  art 
so  dear  in  My  sight,  so  prized,  so  precious  to  Me,  I  will  give 
(common)  men  ^  in  thy  stead  and  peoples  for  thy  life. 

5  Fear  nor,  for  I  am  with  thee ;  I  will  bring  thy  sons  from  the 
sun-rising  and  gather  thee  from  the  West.  6  I  will  say  to  the 
North,  '*  give  up;  "  and  to  the  South,  "  keep  not  back,"  bring  My 

1  Isa.  xliii. 

2  Lit.,  "  I  have  redeemed  thee."  The  redemption  was  deter- 
mined, but  not  yet  carried  out. 

2  This  prophecy  was  literally  fulfilled.  Carabyses  carried  out 
the  conquest  of  Egypt  which  Cyrus  had  planned,  and  extended 
the  Persian  conquests  far  and  near. 

*  Jer.  xxxii.  20. 


316  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

sons  from  far,  and  My  daughters  from  the  end  of  the  earth;* 
7  every  one  who  is  called  by  My  name,  and  whom  I  have  created 
for  My  glory,  whom  I  have  formed  and  prepared  (for  that  end). 

The  prophet  is  next  addressed. 

8  Bring  forth  the  blind  people  that  have  eyes  (and  do  not  use 
them),  and  the  deaf  who  have  ears  (but  will  not  hear).  (Bring 
them  to  an  open  space,  where  the  controversy  between  the  true 
God  and  the  idols  may  be  settled  before  the  heathen  nations,  who 
also  are  to  assemble  there).  9  Ye  heathen  nations,  all  of  you, 
assemble,  and  let  the  peoples  gather  together !  Who  among  you 
(of  your  prophets),  can  announce  such  things,  and  tell  us  their 
predictions  delivered  in  the  past  (and  now  proved  true).  Let 
them  produce  their  witnesses,  that  they  may  be  vindicated,  and 
let  these  hear  and  eay — It  is  the  truth.  10  Ye  (men  of  Israel) 
who  fear  My  name,  are  My  witnesses,  says  Jehovah,  ye  are  my 
servant,  whom  I  have  chosen ;  that  ye  may  acknowledge  and 
believe  Me,  and  understand  that  I  am  He  (and  that)  before  Me  no 
God  was  formed,  and  after  Me  there  shall  be  none.  1 1  I — I,  am 
Jehovah,  and  besides  me  there  is  no  S.aviour.  12  I — I  (alone) 
have  foretold  what  is  to  happen  and  have  saved  (you),  and  have 
revealed  beforehand  (that  I  would  do  so);  it  was  no  strange  god 
among  you  that  did  this;  ye  are  My  witnesses,  says  Jehovah, 
that  I  am,  (thus,  the  only  true)  God.  13  In  the  future,  also,  lam 
He,  and  no  one  can  deliver  out  of  My  hand.  I  work  and  who  can 
hinder  Me? 

The  prophet  now  introduces  a  renewed  prediction  of 
the  destruction  of  Babylon. 

14  Thus  says  Jehovah,  your  Redeemer,'  the  Holy  One  of  Israel: 
For  your  sakes  have  I  sent  (the  foe)  to  Babylon,  and  will  drive 
out,'  as  fugitives,  all  its  (mixed)  population,  and  the  Chaldeans 
(themselves),  who  shall  flee  in  anguish  to  the  ships,  hitherto  their 
pride.^  15  I,  Jehovah,  your  Holy  One,  the  Creator  of  Israel,  your 
King,  (will  do  it)! 

1  So  widely  scattered  were  the  Jews  even  then. 

2  Or  Goel.     See  p.  306. 

*  Lit.,  "down,"  Babylon  being  figured  as  a  proud  and  lofty  city. 

*  Herod.,  i.  194,  describes  the  vessels  of  the  Babylonians,  and 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  317 

The  deliverance  from  Egypt  is  introduced  as  a  pledge 
for  the  fulfilment  of  all  this. 

i6  Thus  says  Jehovah,  who  makes  a  road  through  the  sea, 
and  a  path  through  the  mighty  waters;  17  who  leads  forth  (to 
their  doom)  chariot  and  horse,  army  and  power  :  *  they  lie  down 

the  ships  of  Ur  are  often  mentioned  in  early  inscriptions.  See 
vol.  i.  p.  302.  The  merchandise  of  Arabia  was  carried  to  Baby- 
lon in  ships.— Strabo,  xvi.  4,  §  18.  The  later  inscriptions  show 
that  numerous  vessels  were  always  to  be  found  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Euphrates,  and  that  they  constantly  sailed  over  the  Persian 
Gulf.  It  is  uncertain  whether  they  ventured  beyond  its  head-lands, 
into  the  open  Indian  Ocean:  but  there  is  reason  to  believe  that 
by  some  means  or  other  they  obtained  Indian  commodities,  which 
would  come  most  readily  by  this  sea-route.  The  teak  found 
in  their  buildings,  the  ivory  and  ebony  which  they  almost 
certainly  used,  the  cinnamon  and  the  cotton  in  the  large  quanti- 
ties which  they  consumed,  can  only  have  come  from  the  peninsula 
of  Hindustan,  and  cannot  be  supposed  to  have  travelled  by  the 
circuitous  route  of  Cabul  and  Bactria.  Arabian  spices  were  con- 
veyed by  the  Gerrhaeans,  in  their  ships,  to  Babylon  itself,  and  it 
is  probable  that  the  rest  of  the  Gulf  trade  was  chiefly  in  their 
hands.  Perfumes  of  all  kinds,  pearls,  wood  for  shipbuilding, 
walking-sticks,  cotton,  gems,  gold,  and  Indian  fabrics,  flowed  into 
the  Chaldaean  capital  from  the  sea,  being  mostly  brought  to  it  up 
the  Euphrates  in  ships,  and  deposited  on  the  quays  at  the  mer- 
chants' doors,  .^schylus  calls  the  Babylonians  who  served  in 
the  army  of  Xerxes,  "navigators  of  ships."*  Commercial  dealings 
among  the  dwellers  in  the  city,  on  a  most  extensive  scale,  are  dis- 
closed by  the  Egibi  tablets  ;  f  "  spice-merchants  "  appear  among 
the  witnesses  to  deeds.  J  Their  own  records  and  the  accounts  of 
the  Greeks  are  thus  in  the  completest  agreement  with  the  prophet 
when  he  describes  Babylon  as  "a  land  of  traffick  ...  a  city  of 
merchants.''— Rawlinson,  in  Clergyman  s  Magazine,  1883,  p.  105. 
See  also  Riehm's  Handwdrterhuch,  p.  248. 

*  An  allusion  to  the  overthrow  of  Pharaoh  in  the  Red  Sea. 

*  ^schyl.,  Pers.,  11.  52-55. 

t  Transactions  of  the  Society  of  Biblical  Archaeology,  vol.  vii.  pp.  1-78. 
j  Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  xi.  p.  94. 


318  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

together  (at  His  word),  they  shall  not  rise;  they  are  extinguished; 
they  are  put  out  like  the  wick  of  a  lamp ! 

i8  (Yet  ye  need  not)  call  to  mind  former  things,  nor  ponder 
those  of  the  past ;  19  behold,  I  am  about  to  do  what  is  new  ;  it  is 
even  now  budding  forth,  lo,  ye  shall  see  it !  I  will  make  a  road 
through  the  waste,  and  streams  in  the  desert.  20  Even  the  beast 
of  the  field  will  praise  Me,  the  thirsty  jackals  and  the  ostriches, 
because  I  give  waters  in  the  waste  and  streams  in  the  desert, 
for  drink  to  ]\[y  people.  My  chosen,  21  the  people  whom  I  have 
formed  for  Myself ;  who  (also,  like  these  creatures)  shall  declare 
My  praise  (for  such  supplies  in  such  a  region). 

Once  more  it  is  proclaimed  that  all  this  is  o£  God's 
free  grace,  for  the  honour  of  His  great  name ;  not  for 
any  merit  or  painful  service  rendered  by  Israel. 

22  (I  do  this)  though  thou  hast  not  called  upon  Me,  0  Jacob, 
much  less  weaiied  thyself,^  (in  My  service)  O  Israel.  23  Thou 
hast  not  brought  Me  (in  Babylon,  as  thou  didst  formerly  in  Judah) 
the  sheep  of  thy  burnt  offerings,  neither  hast  thou  honoured  Me 
with  thy  other  sacrifices,  nor  have  I  burdened  thee  with  food- 
off'erings,  nor  wearied  thee  with  (burning)  incense.  24  Thou  hast 
not  bought  for  Me,  with  silver,  the  costly  fragrant  Arabian  reed, 
for  holy  oil,^  and  thou  hast  not  sated  Me  with  the  fat  of  thy  sacri- 
fices. But  thou  hast  tired  Me  out^  with  thy  sins,  thou  hast 
wearied  Me  with  thine  iniquities  ! 

25  I,  I  alone,  blot  out  thy  transgressions,  for  My  own  sake,  and 
will  remember  thy  sins  no  longer.  26  (Yet  if  thou  thinkest  thou 
hast  anything  to  urge  for  thyself)  put  Me  in  remembrance  (of  it); 
let  us  try  the  matter  together ;  state  what  thou  canst,  to  justify 
thyself.  27  (But  thou  canst  say  nothing,  for  even)  thy  first 
father  (Jacob)  sinned,  and  they  that  mediated  ^  between  Me  and 
thee — thy  prophets  and  priests — have  been  faithless  to  Me. 
28   For  this   cause   have   I   dishonoured   thy  holy  princes,  the 

1  The  minute  and  wearisome  observances  of  the  ceremonial 
lavv — its  sacrifices,  offerings,  and  Levitical  rites,  could  not  be 
observed  in  Babylon.  2  Exod.  xxx.  23.     Jer.  vi.  20. 

»  Lit.,  " loaded  Me  like  a  slave."  *  Lit.,  "mediators." 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  319 

high  priests,*  and  have  given   over  Jacob  to  ruin,^  and  Israel 
to  reproach. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  Jehovah,  for  His  lovers  sake, 
and  for  His  honour,^  will  blot  out  the  recollection  of  the 
sins  of  His  people,  and  load  them  with  blessing. 

1  Yet  now  hear,^  0  Jacob,  My  servant,  and  Israel,  whom  I  have 
chosen.  2  Thus  says  Jehovah,  thy  Creator,  that  formed  thee 
from  the  womb,  who  is  thy  Helper:  Fear  not,  O  Jacob,  My  ser- 
vant, and  thou,  Jeshurun,^  whom  I  have  chosen.  3  For  I  will 
pour  out  water  for  the  thirsty,  and  streams  over  the  parched 
land;  I  will  pour  out  My  Spirit  on  thy  seed, and  My  blessiiig.upon 
thy  offspring.  4  And  they  will  spring  up  as  grass  beside  flowing 
waters,^  and  as  poplars  by  watercourses.  5  One  will  say,  "I  am 
Jehovah's"  ;  another  will  joyfully  praise  the  name  of  Jacob  ;  and 
a  third  will  make  tlie  matk  of  Jehovah  on  his  hand,^  and  boast  of 
Israel  as  a  name  of  honour.^ 

The  intense  hatred  of  the  prophet  to  the  idolatry  which 
had  so  depraved  his  nation  under  Manasseh  and  Ahaz, 
and  survived  only  too  vigorously  even  in  Babylon,®  now 
breaks  out  again  in  a  vivid  contrast  of  the  greatness 
of  Jehovah  as  compared  with  the  gods  of  the  heathen. 
There   must   have   been   great  danger  of  the  Hebrews 

*  1  Chron.  xxiv.  5.     Jer.  Hi.  24 

2  Lit.,  have  "put  him  under  My  ban,"  devoted  him  to  destruc- 
tion.    See  vol.  ii.  p.  396,  note. 

3  Isa.  xliii.  4,  25.  "^  Isa.  xliv. 

*  A  diminutive  of  endearment  =  "  the  wortby  people." 
^  Yulgate.     So,  virtually,  Sept. 

7  Slaves  bore  the  name  of  their  master, — soldiers,  of  their 
leader, — idolaters,  of  their  god, — branded  or  tattooed  on  their 
forehead  or  on  their  hand.  So  it  would  be  done  towards  Jehovah 
by  His  willing  servants.  Eichhorn  translates  ihe  clause,  "will 
imprint  on  his  hand  '  Sacred  to  Jehovah.'" 

*  "  Soothingly  names  the  name  of  Israel." — Gesenius.  The  verb 
means  "  to  deck  with  a  title,"  "  to  call  by  an  honourable  name." 

»  See  Ezek.  passim. 


320  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL, 

finally  apostatizing  from  their  national  faith,  to  lead  to 
such  denunciations  of  idols.  Heathenism  surrounds  our 
countrymen  in  India  as  much  as  it  did  the  Jews  either 
in  Judea  or  on  the  Chebar,  but  it  would  be  strange  to 
an  Anglo-Indian  audience,  firm  in  their  belief  in  one 
God,  if  their  preachers  dwelt  on  the  risk  of  their  be- 
coming idolaters,  as  the  prophets  felt  necessary  in  the 
case  of  their  brethren  during  the  Captivity.  Jehovah, 
we  are  again  told,  has  long  since  predicted  the  deliver- 
ance of  His  people,  and  will  prove  His  divinity  by  the 
fulfilment  of  His  Word,  while  the  idols  have  foretold 
or  carried  out  nothing. 

6  Thus  says  Jehovah,  *  the  King  of  Israel,  and  his  Redeemer,' 
Jehovah  of  Hosts  :  I  atn  the  First  and  the  Last,  and  beside  Me 
there  is  no  god.  7  Who  foretells^  as  I  do,  ever  since  I  founded 
this  ancient  people — let  them  show  it  and  make  it  plain?  and  let 
them,  also,  reveal  the  future,  and  show  what  will  come  hereafter. 

Israel  needs  not  fear :  Jehovah  designs  good  for  it. 

8  Fear  ye  not,  neither  be  alarmed ;  have  not  I  long  since  made 
known  to  you  and  declared  (what  was  coming)  ?  Ye  are  My  wit- 
nesses. Is  there  a  God  beside  Me?  There  is  no  (other)  Rock — 
(no  other  true  god) ;  I  know  of  none. 

While  Israel  can  boast  in  Jehovah,  the  heathen  have 
only  worthless  idols  to  which  to  look. 

9  The  makers  of  idols  are  all  of  them  foolish ;  *  the  things  they 
delight  in  are  worthless  !  they  themselves  must  confess  this,  ^  for 
(these  images)  neither  see  nor  know,  and  therefore  he  is  put  to 
10  shame  who  makes  a  god,  or  casts  a  molten  image,  that  is  good 

1  Isa.  xliv.  2  Heb.,  Goel. 

3  Lit.,  "  calls  " — referring  to  the  discourses  of  the  prophets,  as 
in  Isa.  xl.  2. 
*  Lit.,  "  chaos."  *  Are  their  witnesses. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  321 

for  nothing!  ii  Lo,  all  its  worshipperj?^  shall  be  ashamed,  for 
those  that  make  it  are  only  mortals.  Let  them  all  assemble  and 
stand  lip  together  (to  defend  their  gods) ;  (but,  if  they  do  so) 
they  will  only  tremble  and  be  put  to  shame  together. 

The  prophet  now  leads  us  into  an  idol  manufactory, 
such  as  then  drove  a  great  trade. 

12  The  metal-worker  2  sharpens  his  chisel ;  he  works  with  the 
eoal^  (of  his  forge)  and  fashions  the  idol  with  hammers,  and 
finishes  it  by  the  strength  of  his  arms ;  he  grows  hungry  (at  his 
work)  and  is  exhausted ;  if  he  does  not  drink  water  he  grows  faint. 

13  The  carpenter"*  stretches  out  his  measuring  line;  maiks 
out  the  figure  of  the  god  with  his  chalks,  works  out  the  details 
with  diflferent  tools,  and  measures  the  proportions  with  his 
compasses,  to  make  it  like  a  human  figure,  so  that,  like  a  comely 
man,  it  may  dwell  in  some  house.^  14  He  hews  down  cedars, 
and  takes  the  ilex  and  oak ;  he  chooses  for  himself  from  among 
the  trees  of  the  wood ;  he  plants  a  fig  tree  ^  and  the  rain  nourishes 
it,  15  and  it  serves  for  firing  to  him,  he  takes  part  of  it  and 
warms  himself;  he  kindles  part  and  bakes  bread  with  it,  and  of 
part  he  makes  a  god  and  worships  it:  he  makes  it  into  an  idol 
and  falls  down  before  it !  16  The  one  half  he  has  partly  burnt  in 
the  fire,  partly  used  to  make  flesh  ready  to  eat ;  he  roasts  meat 
with  it  and  satisfies  his  hunger,  and  warms  himself,  and  says 
"Aha,  I  am  warm,  I  have  enjoyed  the  fire."  17  And  the  re- 
mainder of  it  he  makes  into  a  god,  his  graven  image,  and  falling 
down  before  it,  prostrates  himself  and  prays  to  it,  saying,  *'  Save 
me,  for  thou  art  my  god  !  " 

18  They  have  no  sense  or  understanding,  for  their  eyes  are 

^  Its  fellows.     Haberim  =  associates. 

2  Lit.,  "a  cutter  of  iron."  ^  Charcoal.     Isa.  liv.  16. 

"^  The  prophet  has  described  the  making  of  an  idol  of  metal; 
he  now  describes  that  of  a  wooden  one. 

^  There  was  a  house-god  in  each  family.  The  Teraphim  had  a 
human  form,  at  least  in  some  cases  (1  Sam.  xix.  13-16),  and  so  had 
most  idols. 

^  Schrader,  K.A.T.,  2te  Auf.,  p.  411,  the  same  word  is  "fig"  in 
Assyrian. 

VOL.    VI.  Y 


322  THE   FIFTH   GOSPEL. 

shut  ^  so  thab  they  do  not  see,  and  their  heart  is  closed  so  that 
they  do  not  understand.  19  And  no  one  considers  in  his  heart 
or  has  sense  or  understanding  to  say,  "  I  have  burned  half  of  it 
in  the  fire,  and  I  have  used  its  coals  to  bake  my  bread,  and  I 
roasted  flesh  with  it,  and  ate,  and  shall  I  make  the  other  half  into 
an  "  abomination "  ?  Shall  I  fall  down  before  a  piece  of  wood 
grown  out  of  the  ground?  20  He  who  thus  delights  in  what  is 
worthless 2  is  led  astray  by  his  blinded'  heart,  and  he  cannot 
free  himself  from  his  errors,  or  save  his  soul,  or  say,  "  Is  there 
not  a  lie  in  my  right  hand  ?  " 

Israel  should  reflect  on  these  things,  and  cleave  to 
Jehovah,  his  gracious  God  and  Saviour. 

21  Think  on  these  things,  0  Jacob,  and  Israel,  for  thon  art  My 
servant.  I  have  proved  thee,  thou  art  My  servant ;  O  Israel,  I 
will  not  forget  thee,  22  I  have  blotted  out  as  a  thick  cloud  thy 
transgressions,  and  as  the  morning  mist^  thy  sins;  return  to 
Me,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee.  23  Sing  out,  O  ye  heavens,  for 
Jehovah  has  done  it!  Shout  aloud,  ye  valleys  and  caves  of  the 
earth;  break  forth  into  jubilee  ye  mountains,  thou  forest  and  all 
thy  trees,  for  Jehovah  has  redeemed  Jacob,  and  shown  Himself 
glorious  (in  His  deeds)  towards  Israel. 

The  majesty  of  Jehovah  is  proclaimed,  as  Creator  of 
the  Universe,  and  as  ruling  in  the  kingdom  of  Provi- 
dence, confounding  false  prophets,  confirming  the  words 
of  His  true  messengers,  and  ordaining  Cyrus  to  subdue 
tlie  heathen,  especially  the  mighty  power  of  Babylon. 

24  Thus  says  Jehovah,  thy  Eedeemer,^  He  that  formed  thee 
from  the  womb, — I,  Jehovah,  am  He  who  makes  all  things,  that 
stretched  forth  the  heavens  alone,  and  spread  abroad  the  earth  by 
Myself;  25  that  brings  to  nothing  the  signs  of  lying  babblers, 
and  makes  foolish  the  soothsayers  ;  that  makes  "  the  wise"  draw 
back  ashamed,  and  turns  their  pref.ended  wisdom  to  folly :  26  that 

*  Lit.,  "  plastered  over,"  in  this  ca?e  perhaps  "closed  by  fat." 

2  Lit.,  **  to  feed"  or  "feast  "  on  *•  ashes.''        '  Lit.,  "  deceived." 

*  Hos.  vi.  4  6  Heb  ,  Goel. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  323 

makes  the  word  of  His  servant  stand,  and  fulfils  the  predictions 
of  His  messengers;  ^  that  says  of  Jerusalem,  "It  shall  be  once 
more  inhabited,''  and  of  the  cities  of  Judah,  "They  will  be  re« 
built,  I  will  restore  their  rains";  27  that  says  to  the  depths  of 
the  waters,  ''Be  dried  up,  I  will  dry  up  thy  streams  ";2  28  that 
says  of  Cyrus,'  "He  is  My  shepherd  who  will  perform  all  My 
pleasure,"''  and  of  Jerusalem,  "Let  her  be  rebuilt,"  and  of  the 
temple,  "  Let  thy  foundations  be  laid."^ 

I  Thus  says  Jehovah  to  His  anointed,^  to  Cyrus,  whose  right 
hand  I  hold,  that  nations  might  be  subdued  before  him,  and  that 
I  may  uiigird  the  loins  of  kiugs,^  and  that  open  before  him  the 
wide  double  gates  (of  cities),  and  that  the  barriers  (of  towns)  may 
not  be  shut  (against  him),  2  I  will  go  before  thee  and  make  the 
hilly  ground  smooth;  two-leaved  gates  of  brass  will  I  break  in 
pieces,  and  their  bars  of  iron  will  I  cut  in  sunder,^  3  and  I  will 
give  thee  the  treasures  concealed  in  darkness,  and  the  wealth  of 
secret  hiding  places,^  that  thou  mayest  know  that  I,  Jehovah,  the 

*  The  prophets. 

*  The  Euphrates  is  here  regarded  as  a  sea,  as  the  Nile  in  other 
passages.  Cyrus  is  said  to  have  drained  off  the  great  river 
into  another  channel,  so  that  the  waters  sank  to  a  foot  deep,  and 
his  soldiers  could  go  through  it  on  foot.    {Herod.,  i,  191.) 

3  "  Cyrus  "  was  formerly  thought  to  mean  "  the  Sun,''  but  it  is 
really  identical  with  the  name  of  the  river  Kur.  On  the  monu- 
ments it  is  Kiiru.     See  Delitzsch,  Jesaia,  2te  Auf.,  pp.  265,  470. 

*  Or  "work." 

*  Josephus  says,  "Now  this  became  known  to  Cyrus  by  his 
reading  the  book  of  his  prophecy  which  Esaias  left  behind  him. 
for  this  man  said,  that  God  had  spoken  thus  to  him  in  secret:  'My 
will  is  that  Cyrus/  etc.  This  was  prophesied  by  Esaias  one 
hundred  and  forty  years  before  the  demolition  of  the  temple. 
When,  therefore,  Cyrus  had  read  this,  and  marvelled  at  the 
Divine  power,  an  earnest  impulse  and  ambition  seized  upon  him 
to  fulfil  what  was  so  written."     Jos.,  Ant.,  XL  i.  2. 

^  Isa.  xlv.  ^  Make  them  unfit  to  meet  Cyrus  in  war. 

8  Tlie  gates  and  bars  of  Babylon  were  of  brass  and  iron, 
'Herod.,  i.  179. 

'  Enormous  treasures  were  stored  in  the  dark  recesses  of 
temples  and  in  the  underground  vaults  of  the  rich.     Some  of  the 


324  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

God  of  Israel,  am  He  who  called  thee  by  thy  name  (thus  long 
before).  4  For  the  sake  of  Jacob  My  servant,  and  Israel  My 
chosen,  (not  for  thine  own  sake),  have  I  called  thee  by  thy  name; 
I  have  given  thee  the  honourable  title  (of  "My  shepherd")  though 
thou  didst  not  know  Me. 

5  I  am  Jehovah  and  there  is  none  else ;  there  is  no  God  beside 
Me;  I  girded  thee  (for  the  victorious  performance  of  My  will) 
though  thou  didst  not  know  Me,  6  that  all  men  may  know,  from 
the  rising  of  the  sun  even  to  the  west,  that  there  is  none  beside 
Me.  I  am  Jehovah,  and  there  is  none  else,  7  the  Former  of  light 
and  the  Creator  of  darkness ;  the  source  of  good  and  the  dis- 
penser of  trouble  to  man ;  I,  Jehovah,  am  He  who  does  all  this. 

8  Drop  down  (your  showers),  ye  heavens,  from  above,  and 
let  the  skies  pour  down  righteousness ;  let  the  earth  open 
(her  bosom),  let  salvation  blossom  forth,  and  righteousness  spring 
up  with  it !     I,  Jehovah,  have  created  it. 

But  even  in  Israel,  though  so  .wondrously  favoured, 
there  were  many  who  murmured  at  the  long  delay  iu  the 
fulfilment  of  the  Divine  promises.  The  folly  and  danger 
of  such  an  attitude  of  heart  is  vividly  depicted. 

9  Woe  to  him  who  strives  with  his  Creator — (him),  a  poor 
potsherd  amidst  the  (million)  potsherds  of  the  earth  !^  Shall  the 
clay  say  to  him  that  shapes  it,  "  What  makest  thou  "P  Sliall  thy 
work  say,  "  He  has  no  hands  "?  10  Woe  to  him  who  says  to  his 
father,  *'  What  begertest  thou"  ?  or  to  his  mother,  "What  bring- 
est  thou  forth''?  11  Thus  says  Jehovah,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel, 
concerning  things  to  come  ;  Ask  Me,  (not  your  idols  or  false 
prophets),  for  My  sons,  and  for  the  work  of  My  hands  leave  Me 
to  care.  12  I  made  the  earth,  and  created  man  on  it.  My  hands 
stretched  out  the  heavens  and  I  lay  My  commands  on  all  their 
host.  13  I  have  raised  up  him  (Cyrus)  in  righteousness,  and  I 
will  smooth  all  his  paths  before  him ;  he  shall  build  My  city,  and 
he  shall  set  free  My  banished  ones,  without  a  redemption  price 
and  without  a  reward,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

greatest  hoards  remained  untouched  till  they  were  plundered  by 
Darius.     Herod.,  i.  187. 

*  An  allusion  to  man  being  made  from  the  earth. 


THE    FIFTH   GOSPEL.  325 

Egypt,  Ethiopia,  and  the  Sabaeans,  subdued  by  Cyrus, 
and  led  off  by  him  triumphantly  in  chains  to  Asia,  will 
see  the  wondrous  deliverance  vouchsafed  to  Israel,  and 
will  entreat  to  be  united  with  them,  feeling  that  Jehovah 
alone  is  the  true  God. 

14  Thus  says  Jehovah,  the  wealth  of  Egypt  and  the  gains  of 
Ethiopia,  and  the  tall  Sabaeans,  will  come  over  to  thee  and  become 
thine  ;^  they  will  follow  behind  thee ;  they  will  go  in  chains  and 
fall  before  thee,  and  pay  reverence  to  thee,  saying,"  God  is  with 
thee;  there  is  none  else;  no  God  beside.'* 

15  Verily  thou  art  a  God  who  hidest  thy  purposes  ;  (bnt,  once 
revealed,  they  show  thee),  0  God  of  Israel,  to  be,  (indeed)  a 
Saviour !  2 

16  Ashamed  and  confounded  are  they  all ;  turned  away  in 
confusion  are  the  makers  of  idols.  17  But  Israel  shall  be  saved 
by  Jehovah,  with  an  everlasting  salvation :  ye  will  no  more  be 
ashamed  or  confounded  for  ever.  18  For  thus  says  Jehovah  that 
created  the  heavens — He  is  the  true  God — that  made  and  per- 
fected the  earth :  He  it  was  who  established  it,  forming  it  not  to 
be  a  waste,  but  to  be  inhabited.  I  am  Jehovah,  and  there  is  none 
else.  19  I  have  not  spoken  (by  My  prophets)  in  secret,  (but 
openly)  ;  not  in  some  part  of  the  land  of  darkness  :  *  I  have  not 
used  empty  words  to  the  House  of  Jacob  when  I  said,  "  Seek  Me,"* 
I,  Jehovah,  speak  the  truth,  I  foretell  what  will  surely  happen. 

Jehovah  once  more  appeals  to  the  heathen  themselves 
to  judge  His  claims  compared  with  those  of  idols. 

20  Assemble  yourselves  and  come  ;    draw  near  together,  ye 

^  "Thy  slaves."  Cyrus  transferred  the  Egyptians  taken  in  his 
battles  with  Croesus,  to  other  lands.  On  the  Sabaeans,  see  vol.  i. 
p.  240.  2  Exclamation  of  the  prophet. 

3  Perhaps  an  allusion  to  the  heathen  claim  to  speak  by  the 
dead  from  Sheol ;  perhaps  to  the  dark  and  uninhabited  wilder- 
ness.    Eichhorn  translates  it,  "  dark  corners  of  the  earth." 

■*  Cheyne's  translation,  "  Seek  me  as  chaos,"  is  unintelligible. 
I  have  adopted  the  rendering  of  Luther  and  De  Wette.  Eichhorn 
and.  Delitzsch  render  it  "  in  the  deserts ;"  Ewald,  "  seek  ye  Me  in 
vain,"  as  in  A.V. 


326  TflE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

escaped  of  the  nations.^  They  have  no  understanding  that  set 
up  the  wood  of  their  image,  and  piay  to  a  god  that  cannot 
save.  21  Make  known  and  bring  forward  your  cause  ;2  let 
them — the  defenders  of  the  idols— constilb  together.  Who  has 
declared  tliis  (great  deliverance)  from  of  old?  Who  has  made 
it  known  in  the  past  ?  Was  it  not  I,  Jehovah  ?  There  is  no  God 
else,  beside  Me  ;  a  just  God  and  a  Saviour  ;  there  is  none  beside 
Me  !  22  Turn  ye  to  Me  and  be  ye,  (also),  saved,  all  ye  ends  of  the 
earth,  for  I  am  God  and  there  is  none  else ! 

23  By  Myself  have  I  sworn  ;  from  My  mouth  that  speaks  truth 
has  gone  forth  the  word,  and  it  shall  not  be  reversed:  That  unto 
Me  every  knee  shall  bow  and  every  tongue  swear  homage.  24  In 
Jehovah  alone,  shall  it  be  said,  are  righteousness  and  might.  To 
Him  shall  all  come  and  be  ashamed,  who  raged  against  Him. 
25  In  Jehovah  shall  all  the  seed  of  Israel  be  justified  and  glory. 

A  new  discourse  now  begins.  The  gods  of  Babylon 
will  be  overthrown  and  carried  off  in  triumph.  Israel 
may  well  trust  a  God  so  faithful,  and  the  idol  worshippers 
ponder  His  mighty  acts  and  seek  a  share  in  His  favour. 

1  Bel'  sinks  down,**  Nebo  falls*  prostrate  ;^  their  images  are  laid 

^  Primarily,  the  fugitives  of  the  various  nations  who  had  fled 
before  Cyrus.  In  its  higher  aspect,  as  a  prediction  of  the  future 
of  the  Church  in  all  ages,  it  may  also  well  refer  to  the  remnant 
of  the  heathen  who  escape  the  final  judgments  of  God  on  the 
earth.     See  ver.  23. 

2  Arguments  in  favour  of  their  idols.  '  Isai.  xlvi. 
4  Bel  =  Baal.     See  vol.  i.  p.  274 ;  vol.  v.  p.  400. 

*  Nebo,  with  Merodach  and  Bel  were  the  chief  gods  of  Baby- 
lon. So  great  indeed  was  Nebo,  that  nearly  all  the  kings  have 
his  name  incorporated  with  their  own — as  Nabopolassar,  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and  Nabonidus.  Nebuchadnezzar  calls  himself  "  the 
beloved  of  Nebo,  Him  who  rules  over  the  armies  of  heaven  and 
earth."  This  god  is  also  spoken  of  as  *'  the  chief  god,"  the  orderer 
of  the  world,  the  god  of  knowledge,  of  wisdom,  of  oaths,  the 
creator  of  friendship,  the  author  of  writing,  and  the  "  Scribe  of 
the  Universe."     Schradery  on  Isa.  xlvi.  1. 

^  By  this  figurative  language  respecting  the  gods  of  Babylon 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  327 

on  the  beasts  of  burden  and  the  drnnght-oxen ;  yonr  gods,  which 
ye  carry  about,  (O  Bab^'lonians),  are  laden  on  the  beasts;  they 
are  a  heavy  load  to  tlie  weary  creatures  !  2  The  idols  fall  pros- 
ti'iite.^  they  sink  down^  together,  they  cannot  rescue  tiieir  images 
— the  load  of  the  beasts, — but  are  gone  ^  into  captivity  ! 

3  Hearken  unto  Me,  O  House  of  Jacob  and  all  the  remnant  of 
the  House  of  Israel,  ye  who  have  been  a  burden  (to  Me)  from 
your  birth,^  4  and  have  been  caressed  by  Me  since  your  first  hour 
— I  am  still  the  same  even  to  your  old  age  (in  the  distant  future), 
for  even  to  your  grey  hairs  I  will  carry  (you) ;  I  have  done  it  (in 
the  past)  and  will  still  bear  you  (in  days  to  come) :  I  will  carry 
you  and  deliver  you. 

5  To  whom  (of  the  gods)  will  ye  liken  Me,  with  which  of  them 
will  you  put  Me  on  a  footing,  or  compare  Me,  that  we  may  be 
equal?  6  They  (the  heathen)  *  shake  out  their  gold  from  the  bag 
and  weigh  silver  in  the  balance,  and  hire  a  goldsmith  to  make  it 
into  a  god,  and  then  they  fall  down  and  worship  it.  7  The  work- 
men take  it  on  their  shoulders  and  carry  it,  and  fix  it  up  in  its 
place,  and  it  stands  there,  and  cannot  move  from  the  spot;  when 
one  flies  to  it,  it  cannot  answer,  nor  save  him  out  of  his  trouble. 
8  Think  on  this,  and  act  manfully ;  ^  take  it  to  heart,  ye  rebellions  ! 
and  think  on  the  past — what  has  happened  from  of  old — (My  pre- 

nothing  more  is  meant  than  that  the  people  who  worshipped  them, 
and  whom  they  represented,  had  submitted  to  a  foreign  conqueror. 
As  a  fact,  Cyrus  did  not  disturb  the  idols,  but  from  the  first  paid 
homage  to  them,  as  will  be  shown  hereafter,  from  the  inscriptions. 
'  Collapse — sink  together. 

*  Lit.,  "as  when  one's  knees  give  way." 

^  Lit.,  "  their  souls  are  gone,"  i.e.  themselves. 

*  An  allusion  to  the  Exodus. 

*  Whether  heathen  Jews  or  others. 

*  De  Wette,  Gesenius,  and  Eichhorn  translate  the  word  thus. 
Knobel,  Delitzsch  and  Kagelsbach  render  it  *'  be  firm."  Cheyne, 
following  Lagarde,  has  ''be  deeply  ashamed";  but  this  seems  to 
me  to  be  very  forced.  The  word  comes  either  from  an  obsolete 
root,  meaning  "  to  crush  or  press  together,"  as  was  done  with  the 
cakes  of  dried  grapes — or  from  the  word  for  "  man,"  but  as  it 
occurs  only  in  this  single  passage,  critics  difier,  and  always  will 
do  so,  as  to  its  force. 


328  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

dictions  that  bave  been  fulfilled,  My  mighty  deeds  wrought  for 
you,  which  show)  that  T  am  God  and  none  else  ;  that  I  am  God, 
and  no  one  like  Me,  lo  revealing  the  end  from  the  beginning,  and 
from  ancient  times  what  has  not  even  yet  happened.  He  who 
says  "  My  counsel  shall  stand  and  I  will  do  all  My  pleasuie,"  1 1 
who  calls  a  bird  of  prey  from  the  East,^  the  man  who  is  to  execute 
His  purpose,  from  a  far  country.*  Not  only  have  I  spoken  it,  I 
will  also  bring  it  to  pass — I  have  decreed  and  will  carry  it  out ! 
12  Hearken  unto  Me,  therefore,  ye  obdurate*  ones  who  are  far 
from  being  righteous,  13  I  have  brought  near  (the  full  revelation 
of)  My  righteousness,^  it  is  not  far  off;  My  deliverance  (of  Israel) 
will  not  be  long  delayed,  and  I  will  give  salvation  in  Zion  and 
My  glory  to  Israel. 

In  the  next  utterance  of  the  prophet  the  impending 
doom  of  Babylon  is  once  more  proclaimed.  The  great 
city  is  addressed  as  a  haughty  virgin  of  high  birth,  who 
is  henceforth  to  pass  from  splendour  to  debasing  servi- 
tude. Her  treatment  of  Israel  is  to  be  returned  into  her 
own  bosom,  and  none  of  her  sorcerers  or  magi  will  be 
able  to  avert  the  calamity. 

I  Come  down*  (from  thy  throne  of  glory)  and  sit  in  the  dust, 
O  virgin  daughter  of  Babylon.  Sit  on  the  ground,  not  on  thy 
throne,  O  daughter  of  the  Chaldeans,  for  thou  shalt  no  more  be 
called  "  The  delicate,"  and  "  The  luxurious."  2  Take  the  mill- 
stones and  grind  meal,  (the  work  of  the  lowest  slave  girl),^  take 

1  Elam.  2  Media. 

^  Lit.,  "  stout  hearted,"  (in  wickedness).  The  ungodly  and  re- 
bellious among  the  Jews  are  meant,  who  refused  to  believe  in 
the  restoration  of  Israel,  or  its  deliverance  by  Jehovah. 

*  In  freeing  Israel,  and  thus  fulfilling  His  promises. 
«  Isa.  xlvii. 

*  Grinding  the  daily  flour  of  the  household  was  the  task  of  tlK- 
humblest  slave  girls.  Exod,  xi.  5,  12.  Job  xxxi.  10.  Horn.,  Od., 
XX.  105-108,  The  mill  consists  simply  of  a  great  stone  mortar, 
in  which  the  upper  stone  is  turned  by  a  handle  like  those  of  our 
coffee  mills.  Bovet's  £'g'i/pi,  p.  310.  Luke  xvii.  35.  Matt.  xxiv.  4L 
Land  and  Booh,  p.  527. 


THE   FIFTH   GOSPEL.  329 

off  thy  veil,  cnt  short  the  long  skirts  of  thy  robe,  uncover  thy  leg, 
wade  through  streams!  3  Thy  nakedness  will  be  uncovered,  and 
thy  dishonour  seen.  I  will  take  vengeance  on  thee  and  spare  no 
man.  4  But  our  Redeemer,^  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name,  is 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel. 

5  Sit  silent ;  get  thee  into  darkness,  O  daughter  of  the  Chal- 
deans, for  thou  shalt  no  more  be  called  *'  The  mistress  of  king- 
doms." 6  I  was  wroth  with  My  people  (Israel),  I  dishonoured 
My  inheritance  and  gave  them  into  thy  hands,  and  thou  didst 
show  them  no  mercy,  thou  madest  thy  yoke  grievous  even  to  the 
old  (among  them).  7  Thou  saidst  "  I  will  be  a  queen  -  for  ever ; " 
thou  didst  not  take  these  things  to  hearD,  nor  remember  how  they 
must  end. 

8  Hear,  therefore,  thou  haughty  one,  throned,  (as  thou  sup- 
posest),  in  security,  and  saying  in  thy  heart,  '*  I  am  (the  first  of 
nations) ;  there  is  no  other,  besides,  like  me.^  I  shall  never  sit 
a  widow,  (ray  kingdom  lost),  or  know  the  loss  of  children.* 
9  Both  these  calamities  will  come  on  thee  suddenly,  on  the  same 
day — loss  of  children  and  widowhood ;  they  will  come  on  thee  in 
fullest  measure,  notwithstanding  the  multitude  of  thy  divina- 
tions, and  thy  countless  magic  spells  (to  ward  off  evil).  10  Thou 
fanciedst  thyself  safe  in  thy  wickedness,  thou  saidst  "  no  one  sees 
me  !  "  Thy  "  wisdom  "  ^  and  knowledge  have  led  thee  astray,  so 
that  thou  sayest  in  thy  heart,  "  I  am  (the  first  of  nations)  ;  there 
is  no  other  besides."  1 1  Therefore  evil  shall  come  on  thee  which 
thou  knowest  not  how  to  charm  away  ;  ^  calamity  shall  overtake 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  not  be  able  to  avert  it  by  thy  rites ; '  utter 
ruin  shall  befall  thee  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  !  ^ 

12  Keep  on  then  with  thy  divinations,  and  thy  many  magic 
arts,  in  which  thou  hast  toiled  since  thy  youth ;  it  may  be  that 

^  Heb.,  Goel.  '  Lady,  mistress. 

3  Holds  the  same  rank.  Other  kingdoms  were  not  worthy  the 
name.  ^  The  loss  of  States. 

5  Babylon  was  the  great  seat  of  the  "  wise  "  and  "  learned  "  in 
magic  arts  connected  with  heathenism. 

^  I  agree  with  Knobel,  Diestel,  Ewald,  Delitzsch,  Eichhorn,  and 
others  in  preferring  this  reading. 

"  Lit.,  "  to  atone  for  it." 

*  Without  thy  knowing  (beforehand). 


330  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

thou  mayest  get  good  from  them,  and  even  strike  terror  (into 
thine  enemies)!  13  Bat  if  thou  art  wearied  with  the  spells,* 
(prescribed  to  avert  destruction),  let  those  skilled  in  reading  the 
heavens,  the  observers  of  the  stars,  who  tell  thee,  each  new  moon, 
what  is  about  to  come  on  thee,  stand  up  and  save  thee !  ^ 

But  all  such  helps  are  vain. 

14  Behold,  all  these  (soothsayers  and  diviners)  will  be  like 
stubble;  the  flames  (of  the  coming  calamity)  will  burn  up  them 
as  well  as  others ;  they  will  not  be  able  to  save  even  their  own 
lives  from  the  conflagration;  it  will  be  no  gentle  fire  to  warm 
oneself  at,  or  to  sit  before  ! 

15  Thus  will  it  be  with  (these  dealers  in  sorceries)  with  whom 
thou  weariest  thyself,  trafficking  with  them  '  (in  their  arts)  from 
thy  youth— they  will  flee  every  one  bis  own  way— none  shall  (be 
able  to)  save  thee  ! 

A  new  discourse  now  begins,  addressed  to  the  great 
body  of  the  exiles.  Honouring  Jehovah  by  outward 
homage,  their  heart  and  life  were  alike  contrary  to  His 
law.  Having  predicted  their  captivity  on  account  of  their 
rebelliousness,  long  before  it  took  place.  He  had  thus 
shown  Himself  to  be  the  only  true  God.  He  was  about 
to  take  steps  towards  their  deliverance.  Would  that 
they  might  even  now  give  ear,  and  share  in  the  glorious 
salvation  near  at  hand  ! 

I  Hear  ye  this,  O  House  of  Jacob,^  called  by  the  name  of  Israel, 
come  forth  from  the  waters  of  Jndah,^ — who  swear  by  the  name  of 
Jehovah,  and  praise  the  God  of  Israel,  but  not  in  sincerity  or  in 
righteousness.     2  For  they  call  themselves  (children)  of  the  Holy 

»  "  Counsels  "  given  by  the  diviners. 
'  This  is  said  in  irony. 

3  Some  prefer  to  understand  this  clause  of  the  traders  with 
whom  Babylon  had  driven  its  mighty  commerce. 

4  Isa.  xlviii. 

•  The  patriarch  of  the  tribe  is  compared  to  a  fountain  head. 


THE    FIFTH   GOSPEL.  331 

City,^  and  stay  themselves  ^  on  the  God  of  Israel,  Jehovah  of 
Hosts  is  His  name. 

Jehovah  alone  is  to  be  acknowledged,  if  only  from 
His  having  so  long  before  predicted  the  events  about 
to  happen. 

3  The  former  things,  (now fulfilled),  I  announced  long  ago;  out 
of  My  mouth  they  went  forth,^  and  I  predicted  them  ;  I  carried 
them  out  suddenly  (and  unexpectedly),  and  they  came  to  pass. 
4  Because  I  knew  that  thou  wast  hard  in  thy  heart,  and  that  thy 
neck  was  a  sinew  of  iron,^  and  thy  forehead  brass,  5  I  foretold  the 
future  to  thee  from  of  old;  I  declared  it  to  thee  before  it  came 
to  pass,  lest  thou  shouldst  say,  "My  idol  has  done  it,  my  image 
of  wood  and  my  image  of  metal  have  decreed  it."  '  6  Thou  hast 
heard  (the  prophecies) — there,  see  them  all  fulfilled,  must  not 
you  yourselves  own  it  ?  From  this  time  forth  I  foretell  new 
things  to  you,  hidden  things  which  you  did  not  know.  7  They 
are  ordained  now,  not  long  ago ;  thou  hast  not  heard  of  them 
before  to-day,  lest  thou  shouldst  say,  ''  Behold,  I  knew  them." 
8  Thou  hast  neither  heard  them  nor  known  them,  nor  was  thine 
ear  opened  to  them  in  the  past,  for  I  knew  that  thou  art  alto- 
gether untrue  to  me,  and  that  thou  wast  called  Kebellious  from 
thy  birth.  9  (It  is  only)  for  My  name's  sake  I  have  restrained 
My  anger,  and  for  My  own  glory  that  I  am  patient  towards  thee, 
not  to  cut  thee  off.  10  Behold,  I  have  refined  thee,  but  not 
as  silver   (is  refined);^  I   have  purified  thee  in  the  furnace  of 

^  This  name  for  Jerusalem  occurs  here  for  the  first  time.  It  is 
found  only  in  Isaiah  and  the  later  books,  Dan.  ix.  24 ;  Neh.  xi. 
I,  18 ;  Matt.  iv.  5 ;  xxvii.  53. 

2  Call  on  Jehovah  ;  in  words,  at  least,  not  forsaking  Him. 

3  Tiiis  is  the  seventh  appeal  to  prophecy  as  a  witness  for  God. 
*  Like  an  iron  band  or  collar. 

^  Most  of  the  Jews  remained  in  Babylon  among  the  heathen, 
whom  they  imitated  more  and  more,  becoming  almost  a  part 
of  them.  Ezekiel  xx.  30  tells  us  the  fearful  extent  to  which 
idolatry  prevailed  among  them. 

^  The  melting  of  silver  requires  a  great  heat,  1873'^  of  Fahren- 
heit.    The  troubles  set  on  Israel    were  heavy,  but  not  over- 


332  THE   FIFTH   GOSPEL. 

affliction,  ii  For  My  own  sake,  for  My  own  sake  only,  wilt  I 
fulfil  My  promise,^  for  how  should  My  name  be  profaned  ?  Nor 
will  I  give  My  glory  to  another. 

Oh  that  Israel  would  take  to  heart  that  Jehovah  alone 
has  foretold  what  is  about  to  happen,  and  is  thus  the 
only  true  God ! 

12  Hearken  to  me,  0  Jacob,  and  Israel,  my  called  one :  I  am  He, 
I  am  the  First  and  the  Last.  13  My  hand  laid  the  foundation  of 
the  earth,  and  My  right  hand  spanned  the  heavens ;  I  spoke  My 
creating  word  to  them,  and,  forthwith  (both  earth  and  heaven) 
stood  up  (before  me) ! 

14  All  ye  (sons  of  Israel)  assemble  yourselves  and  hear.  Who 
among  the  gods  has  foretold  this  (which  is  about  to  happen)? 
He  whom  Jehovah  has  loved  will  perform  His  will  on  Babylon, 
and  His  chastisement  on  the  Chaldeans  !  15  I,  I  have  said  it,  I 
have  called  him,  I  have  brought  him,  and  his  way  shall  be  pros- 
perous. 16  Draw  near  to  Me,  hear  ye  this,  I  have  not,  from  the 
beginning,  spoken  in  secret.  From  the  time  what  is  happening 
began,  there  was  I,  (directing  and  ordering  all). 

The  prophet  himself  next  speaks  to  Israel. 

And  now  the  Lord  Jehovah  has  sent  me,  with  His  Spirit. 
17  Thus  says  Jehovah,  thy  Kedeemer,^  the  Holy  One  of  Israel :  I 
am  Jehovah  thy  God,  who  teacheth  thee  to  profit,  who  leadeth 
thee  in  the  way  thou  shouldst  go.  1 8  Oh  that  tliou  hadst  hearkened 
to  My  commandments !  Then  would  thy  peace  have  been  (full) 
as  a  river,  and  thy  righteousness'  like  the  waves  of  the  sea; 
19  thy  seed,  also,  would  have  been  as  the  sand,  and  thy  children 

whelming.  Eichhorn  renders  the  verse,  **  I  smelted  thee  because 
thou  wast  not  pure  silver,  and  drew  off  the  best  from  thee  in  the 
furnace  of  affliction." 

1  Lit.,  "  do  it." 

2  Goel. 

3  Eighteousness  is  here,  from  the  parallelism,  equivalent  to 
''prosperity,"  given  them  by  God,  in  His  righteousness — that  is, 
in  the  righteous,  or  faithful,  fulfilment  of  His  promises. 


THE   FIFTH   GOSPEL.  333 

as  its  grains.^     Thy  ^  name  would  not  have  been  cut  oflf  (from  the 
Holy  Land)  nor  destroyed  (in  it)  from  before  me. 

The  faithful  remnant  of  Israel  will,  however^  be  de- 
livered. Their  triumphant  departure  from  Babylon  rises 
before  tbe  eyes  of  the  prophet.  Perhaps  he  intends  an 
appeal  to  them,  to  keep  this  great  aim  steadily  in  view. 

20  Get  ye  out  of  Babylon  !  flee  from  Chaldea !  Proclaim  it ! 
shout  it  aloud  with  rejoicing  cries  !  tell  it !  send  it  abroad  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth  !  say,  "  Jehovah  has  redeemed  His  servant 
Jacob,  and  they  suffered  no  thirst  in  the  deserts  through  which 
He  led  them ;  for  He  caused  waters  to  flow  out  of  the  rocks  for 
them ;  He  clave  the  stone  and  the  waters  gushed  out."  22  But 
there  is  no  peace,  no  prosperity,  to  the  ungodly  (among  you,  who 
follow  idols  and  refuse  to  hear  My  voice)  says  Jehovah ! 

With  the  forty-ninth  chapter  a  new  section  of  the  book 
opens.  Israel,  in  its  various  and  often  opposing  features, 
is  now  the  theme.  The  "  Servant  of  Jehovah "  is  in- 
troduced as  turning  to  the  heathen  nations,  and  reveal- 
ing Himself  to  the  Gentiles,  in  weariness  at  the  stubborn 
impenitence  of  the  mass  of  His  people. 

*  Hearken  to  me,^  ye  distant  isles  and  coasts  of  the  sea !  Listen, 
ye  far-oS"  peoples :  Jehovah  called  me  (to  His  service)  from  the 
womb;  from  my  mother's  lap  He  called  me  by  my  name  (as 
His  servant).^  2  He  made  my  mouth  like  a  sharp  sword,^  He 
hid  me  in  the  shadow  of  His  hand  (to  protect  me),  and  made  me 
a  smooth  arrow,  and  put  me  in  His   quiver.^     3  "  Thou  art  My 

*  Lit.,  "entrails,"  the  antecedent  is  almost  necessarily  "the 
sand,"  but  some  make  "  the  sea  "  the  antecedent,  and  translate 
the  word  "  entrails "  as  referring  to  the  fish.  Cheyne  does  so, 
hardly  with  propriety,  as  I  think.  2  Heb.,  His. 

3  Isa.  xlix.  4  jer.  i.  5.     Gal.  i.  15. 

5  Heb.  iv.  12.     Eph.  vi.  17.     Eev.  i.  16;  xix.  15. 
^  The  figures  of  the  sword  and  arrow  illustrate  the  power  of 
His  words,  sharp  and  penetrating. 


334  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

servant,  0  Israel,"  said  He,  "in  whom  I  will  glorify  Myself." 
4  But  I  had  said,  "  I  have  laboured  in  vain,  I  have  spent  my 
strength  for  nought  and  in  vain;  verily  my  right,  (the  recompense 
of  my  toil),  is  with  God,  and  my  reward  with  my  God." 

But,  though  for  the  time  cast  down,  the  Servant  knows 
that  the  time  of  his  reward  will  come,  -when  he  will 
restore  the  kingdom  of  God  among  men,  and  spread  the 
worship  of  Jehovah  among  the  heathen,  and  himself  be 
raised  to  high  honour. 

5  To  this  replied  Jehovah,*  who  formed  me  from  the  womb  to 
be  His  Servant,  to  bring  Jacob  again  to  Him,  and  that  Israel 
might  be  gathered  to  Him ;  for  this  am  I  honoured  in  the  eyes 
of  Jehovah,  and  my  God  is  become  my  strength.  6  He  answered, 
I  say,  speaking  thus  :  '*  It  is  too  little  that  thou  shouldst  be  My 
servant,  merely  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob  and  to  lead  back 
the  preserved  of  Israel :  so  I  appoint  thee  to  be  a  light  to  the 
heathen,  that  thou  mayest  be  My  salvation  unto  the  ends  of  the 
earth."  ^ 

7  Thus  says  Jehovah,  the  Redeemer^  of  Israel,  his  Holy  One, 
to  Him  who  is  despised  of  men,  to  Him  whom  the  people  abhor, 
to  the  servant  of  rulers  :  kings  shall  see  (Him)  and  rise  up  (in 
His  honour),  princes  shall  bow  down  (before  Him)  in  reverence 
to  Jehovah,  who  is  faithful  (to  His  promises),  and  to  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel  that  chose  thee. 

8  Thus  says  Jehovah:  In  the  season  of  grace  I  will  hear  thee, 
and  in  the  day  of  salvation  I  will  help  thee,  and  I  will  protect 
thee,  and  appoint  thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  to  raise  up 
the  land,  to  portion  out  the  desolate  heritages,  9  that  thou  mayesD 
say  to  the  prisoners  *'  go  forth,"  and  to  those  that  are  in  the 
darknesses  (of  dungeons)  "  come  to  the  light."  They  shall  feed 
(as  the  flock  of  Jehovah)  along  the  ways,  and  even  on  all  the  bare 
hills  there  will  be  pasture  for  them.     10  They  shall  not  hunger 

*  Eichhorn. 

2  It  is  clear  that  this  description  of  the  Servant  of  Jehovah 
could  not  refer  to  "  Israel,"  as  some  have  thought.  It  can, 
indeed,  apply  only  to  one,  the  great  Messiah,  Jesus  Christ. 

3  Heb.,  Goel. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  335 

nor  thirst,  neither  shall  the  mirage  distress  thera,  nor  the  sun 
smite  them,  for  He  that  has  pity  on  them  shall  lead  them,  and 
shall  guide  them  to  springs  of  water,  ii  And  I  will  level  all  My 
mountains  into  a  (smooth)  road,  and  raise  My  highways  (in  the 
valleys).  12  Behold,  these  come  from  far,  (in  the  west),  and,  lo, 
these  from  the  distant  north,  and  these  from  the  (southern)  sea, 
and  these  from  the  land  of  China  !  ^ 

13  Sing,  0  Heavens,  be  joyful,  O  Earth,  break  forth  into  jubilee, 
O  mountains,  for  Jehovah  has  comforted  His  people  and  has  pity 
on  His  afflicted  ones.  14  Sion  said,  "  Jehovah  has  forsaken  me, 
the  Lord  has  forgotten  me."  15  Can  a  woman  forget  her  suck- 
ing child,  that  she  should  not  have  compassion  on  the  son  of  her 
womb?  Even  she  may  forget — yet  I  will  not  forget  thee! 
16  Behold,  I  have  written  thy  name  on  the  palms  of  My  hands;  ^ 
thy  walls  are  continually  before  Me.  17  Thy  sons  shall  make 
baste  to  thee,  (to  rebuild  thee) ;  those  that  destroyed  and  laid  thee 
waste  shall  depart  from  thee. 

18  Lift  up  thine  eyes  round  about,  O  Jerusalem,  and  look  ! 
All  these  (throngs)  gather  themselves  together  and  come  to  thee. 
As  I  live,  says  Jehovah,  thou  shalt  surely  array  thyself  with  them 
as  (a  woman  with  her)  ornaments,  and  bind  them  round  thee 
as  a  bride  doth  her  girdle  of  price  !  19  Thy  ruins  and  desolate 
places,  and  thy  ravaged  land,  will  be  too  narrow  for  its  inhabit- 
ants, and  those  that  destroyed  thee  ^  will  be  far  away.  20  The 
children  born  to  thee  whilst  thou  layest  childless — (thy  people 
carried  to  exile) — shall  yet  say  in  thine  ears,  "  The  place  is  too 
narrow  for  me;  make  room,  (my  neighbour),  that  I  may  have 
space  to  dwell."  21  Then  shalt  thou,  (Jerusalem),  say  in  thine 
heart,  "  Who  has  borne  me  these,  seeing  I  was  robbed  of  my 
children  and  unfruitful, — exiled  and  an  outcast?  Behold,  I  was 
left  altogether  lonely  :  where  have  these  been  ?  " 

Even  the  heathen  will  aid  in  the  restoration  of  the 
banished  ones. 

*  Lit.,  "  Sinim."  The  farthest  east  of  the  world.  See  Ges., 
Thes.,  8.  v.,  and  Delitzsch,  Jes.,  2te  Auf.,  pp.  712  ff.  The  "  dis- 
persion "  would  gather  from  all  the  earth.  Tsin  was  an  ancient 
name  of  China.  Noldeke  questions  if  China  be  meant,  but  on 
weak  grounds.    Libel.  Lex.,  vol.  v.  p.  331. 

^  Isa.  xliv.  5.  •  Lib.,  "  swallowed  thee  up." 


336  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

22  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  Behold  I  will  liffc  up  My  hand 
to  the  nations,  and  set  up  My  banner  to  the  peoples,  and  they 
shall  bring  thy  (young)  sons  in  their  bosom,  and  thy  (young) 
daughters  on  their  shoulders.  23  And  kings  shall  be  thy  foster 
fathers,  and  queens  thy  nursing  mothers ;  they  shall  bow  down 
to  thee,  with  their  face  to  the  earth,  and  kiss  the  dust  of  thy 
feet,  1  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  Jehovah— Him,  trusting 
in  whom,  no  one  shall  be  ashamed. 

The  faint-hearted  doubt  the  possibility  of  deliverance 
from  Babylon,  but  the  prophet  repeats  the  Divine 
assurance. 

24  "Can  the  prey  be  taken  from  the  mighty  one;  can  the 
captives  of  the  terrible  one  really  escape?  " 

25  Thus  says  Jehovah,  Even  the  captives  of  the  mighty  one 
shall  be  taken  (from  him),  and  the  prey  of  the  terrible  one  shall 
be  delivered,  for  I  will  fight  with  him  who  fights  with  thee,  and  I 
will  save  thy  children.  26  And  I  will  make  thy  oppressors  eat 
their  own  flesh — (turning  against  each  other),  and  they  will  be 
drunk  with  their  own  blood,  as  with  sweet  wine,  ^  and  all  flesh 
shall  know  that  I,  Jehovah,  am  thy  Saviour,  and  that  thy  Ee- 
deemer  is  the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob. 

Jehovah  closes  this  address  by  repudiating  once  more 
the  idea  that  He  has  cast  ofif  Israel,  as  the  murmurers 
alleged. 

I  Thus  says  Jehovah  :^  Where  is  your  mother's  bill  of  divorce- 
ment with  which  I  have  dismissed  her?''  To  which  of  My 
creditors  have  I  sold  you,  (My  children)  ?  ^     Behold,  ye  were  sold 


1  Lit.,  "lick  up." 

2  After  the  first  victory  of  Cyrus  over  the  Babylonians,  various 
sections  of  the  Babylonian  army  deserted  to  the  conqueror,  and 
henceforth  fought  against  their  former  brethren.  {Cyrop.,  iv.  2.) 
The  Babylonian  vassal  kings,  Gobryas  and  Gadatas,  did  the  same, 
and  this  defection  and  treachery  became  general.  (Cyrop.,  iv. 
6  ;  V.  1-3 ;  xlvi.  1,  etc.) 

8  Isa.  1.  '*  Deut.  xxiv.  1. 

5  2  Kings  iv.  1.    Neh.  v.  5.     Matt,  xviii.  25. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  337 

for  your  sins,  and  for  your  iniquities  was  your  mother  put  away. 
2  Why,  when  I  came  to  you  (by  My  prophets),  was  there  no 
man  (who  heard  and  obeyed)  ?  Why,  when  I  called,  was  there 
no  one  to  answer  (and  give  ear)  ?  Is  My  hand  too  short,  (too 
weak),  to  redeem  (you)  ?  Have  I  no  power  to  deliver  ?  Behold, 
by  My  rebuke  I  dry  up  the  sea,  and  turn  rivers  into  dry  land ; 
their  fish  stink  because  there  is  no  water,  and  die  of  thirst.  3  I 
clothe  the  heavens  with  darkness,  and  cover  them  with  the  black- 
ness of  sackcloth !  * 

A  new  section  now  introduces  the  Servant  of  Jehovah 
speaking  in  his  own  person. 

4  The  Lord  Jehovah  ^  has  given  me  the  tongue  of  the  learned, 
that  I  may  know  how  to  speak  comfort  to  the  weary ;  ^  every 
morning  He  wakes  my  ear — wakes  it  to  hear  instruction.''  5  The 
Lord  Jehovah  has  opened  my  ear,  and  I  have  not  resisted  nor 
turned  away.  6  I  gave  my  back  to  the  s miters,  and  my  cheeks 
to  them  that  plucked  ofi"  the  hair;  I  have  not  hidden  my  face 
from  shame  and  spitting.*  7  But  the  Lord  Jehovah  will  help 
me,  therefore  I  am  not  overwhelmed  (by  such  treatment),  bub 
have  set  my  face  like  a  flint  (against  my  opponents),  and  know 
that  I  shall  not  be  put  to  shame.  8  He  is  near  that  justifies  me  ; 
who  will  contend  with  me?  let  us  stand  forth  together.  Who 
is  my  adver.^ary  ?  let  him  come  near  to  me.  9  Behold,  the  Lord 
Jehovah  will  help  me;  who  is  he  that  shall  condemn  me?  lo, 
they  will  all  perish  like  a  (moth-eaten)  garment,  the  moth  shall 

1  Eev.  vi.  12.     Isa.  xx.  2.     Joel  i.  8.  *  iga.  I. 

3  Lit.,  "  to  help  the  weary  with  a  word." 
*  Lit.,  "  as  the  learned." 

5  The  exact  applicability  of  this  to  Our  Lord  will  strike  all. 
Jeremiah  also  had  experience  of  such  shameful  treatment  ( Jer.  xx. 
2,  7).  We  find  it  also  in  the  Messianic  Psalm,  xxii.  7.  Job  further 
speaks  of  it  (Job  xxx.  10).  Scourging  was  common  (2  Cor.  xi.  24). 
So  also  the  seizing  the  beard  and  pulling  it  out  (Neh.  xiii.  25). 
Hor.  Senn.,  iii.  1,  133.  See  Matt.  xx.  67 ;  xxvii.  30 ;  2  Chron.  xxv. 
16;  Acts  V.  40.  Gesenius  quotes  a  poem,  in  which  the  hair  torn 
from  the  beard  of  an  Abyssinian  martyr,  and  the  teeth  struck 
from  his  mouth,  were  gathered  and  sent  oflf  to  a  distance  as  relics. 
Jesaia,  vol.  ii.  p.  142. 

'       VOL.    VI.  Z 


338  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

eat  them  up.  lo  Who  is  there  among  yon  that  fears  Jehovah, 
that  hearkens  to  the  voice  of  His  Servant,  though  he  walk  in 
darkness  and  has  no  light?  Let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  Jeho- 
vah and  stay  himself  upon  his  God. 

Destruction  will  in  the  end  overtake  tlie  adversaries. 

II  Behold,  all  ye  that  kindle  a  fire  (against  the  godly),  and  (as 
it  were)  gird  yourselves  with  firebrands:  Out,  get  ye  into  the 
flame  of  your  own  fire,  and  into  the  firebrands  ye  have  kindled  ! 
This  shall  ye  have  from  My  hand  (says  Jehovah);  ye  shall  lie 
down  in  sorrow !  ^ 

Such  discourses,  read  and  pondered  by  the  godly  among 
the  exiles,  were  the  means  designed  by  Providence  to 
keep  alive  and  strengthen  faith  in  Jehovah.  The  preach- 
ing of  the  days  of  the  Captivity  comes  before  us  in 
these  verses.  "  Morning  by  morning/'  to  use  the  phrase 
of  the  prophets,  fresh  exhortations  quickened  the  re- 
lisrious  revival.     The  next  runs  thus  : — 


•to' 


I  Hearken  to  Me,^  ye  that  strive  after  righteousness,  and  seek 
Jehovah  !  Look  to  the  rock  from  which  ye  were  hewn  and  the 
quarry-hole  from  which  ye  were  dug.*  2  Look  to  Abraham  your 
father,  and  to  Sarah,  that  bare  you ;  how  I  called  Him  when  only 
a  single  individual,  and  yet  blessed  and  increased  Him.^  3  For 
Jehovah  will  (assuredly)  comfort  Zion.  He  will  comfort  all  her 
ruins  :  He  will  make  her  like  Eden,  though  she  is  now  a  wilder- 
ness, and  like  the  garden  of  Jehovah,  though  she  is  now  a  desert ; 
joy  and  gladness  shall  (once  more)  be  found  in  her,  thanksgiving 
and  the  voice  of  melody. 

4  Hearken  to  Me,  My  people :  give  ear  to  Me,  O  My  nation, 

1  Luke  xvi.  24.  ^  Isa.  li. 

'  A  figure  for  the  origin  of  the  nation,  explained  in  the  next 
line. 

*  If  Israel  was  protected  from  all  enemies  and  blessed  when 
it  consisted  of  Abraham  and  Sarab  alone — the  nation  being  yet 
unborn— how  much  more  would  God  protect  and  bless  His  people 
now,  against  all  foes  and  oppressors  1 


THE   FIFTH   GOSPEL.  339 

for  instruction  will  go  forth  from  Me  and  I  will  set  np  My  Law 
for  a  light  of  the  peoples,  5  My  righteousness  (in  the  fulfilment 
of  My  promises)  is  near;  My  salvation  is  about  to  break  forth, 
and  My  (resistless)  arms  will  jndge  the  nations  :  the  isles  (of  the 
west)  will  hope  in  Me,  and  on  My  arm  will  they  trust. 

6  Lift  up  your  eyes  to  the  heavens  and  look  on  the  earth  be- 
neath; for  the  heavens  will  vanish  away  like  smoke,  and  the 
earth  fall  to  pieces  like  a  moth-eaten  garment,  and  its  inhabitants 
die  like  flies,^  but  My  salvation  shall  be  for  ever,  and  My  righteous- 
ness will  never  perish.^  7  Hearken  to  Me,  ye  who  know  righteous- 
ness, ye  people  in  whose  heart  is  My  Law  ;  fear  not  the  reproach 
of  frail  men,  neither  be  afraid  of  their  revilings.  8  For  the  moth 
shall  eat  them  up  as  it  does  a  garment,  and  the  worm  shall  eat 
them  as  it  does  wool,  but  My  righteousness  shall  be  for  ever,  and 
My  salvation  from  generation  to  generation. 

Animated  by  such  words  from  Jehovah,  the  prophet 
directly  apostrophizes  Him,  or  rather,  His  mighty  arm. 

9  Awake  !  awake  !  put  on  strength,  0  arm  of  Jehovah  !  Awake, 
as  in  the  ancient  days,  the  generations  of  old.  Art  not  thf)u 
the  arm  that  cut  off  the  (Egyptian)  sea-monster,^  that  hewed  in 
pieces  the  dragon"*  (of  the  Nile).  10  Art  thou  not  it  that  dried 
up  the  (Red)  Sea,  the  waters  of  that  great  flood ;  that  made  the 
depths  of  the  sea  a  path  for  the  ransomed  to  pass  over  ? 

Who  can  doubt,  then,  that  He  will  deliver  Israel  from 
Babylon  ! 

II  So,  the  redeemed  of  Jehovah  will  return  (from  Babylon), 
and  come  amidst  loud  rejoicings  to  Zion  ;  everlasting  joy,  (like  a 

1  The  Chinnim  of  the  Egyptian  plagues,  Ex.  viii.  12,  14;  Ps. 
cv.  31.     The  Talmudists  used  the  word  of  lice,  but  in  error. 

'  Lit.,  "  break  in  pieces  (like  a  ruin)." 

3  Rahab  =  sea  monster,  used  as  a  figure  of  Egypt — Ps.  Ixxxvii.  4; 
Ixxxix.  11;  Ixxiv.  13,  14.  Pharaoh  is  spoken  of  in  the  same  way, 
Ezek.  xxix.  3;  xxxii.  3;  so  also  Babylon,  Is.  xxvii.  1.  *'  Seas,"  it 
must  be  remembered  refer  to  the  Nile  and  its  great  canals. 

*  The  crocodile  =  "  the  dragon,"  is  stamped  on  Roman-Egyptian 
coins  as  a  symbol  of  the  country.    Ges.,  Jes.,  vol.  ii.  p.  146. 


340  THE    FIFTH   GOSPEL. 

garland)  on  their  head ;  they  will  reach  out  their  hand  to  glad- 
ness and  joy  at  last,  and  sorrow  and  sighing  will  flee  away.^ 

Jehovah  again  addresses  the  exiles. 

12  I,  even  I,  ara  your  comforter;  who  art  thou  that  thou  art 
afraid  before  man  who  dies ;  before  the  son  of  man  who  withers  like 
grass,2  13  and  forgettest  Jehovah,  thy  Maker,  that  stretched  out 
the  heavens,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth  ;  and  that  thou 
tremblest  continually,  all  the  day  long,  before  the  fury  of  the 
oppressor,  when  he  draws  (the  bow)  to  destroy  thee?  And 
where  is  the  fury  of  the  oppressor  ?  14  The  prisoner  bowed 
down  in  the  dungeon  will  speedily  be  set  free  and  shall  not  die 
in  the  pit,  neither  shall  his  bread  fail ;  1 5  for  I  am  Jehovah  thy 
God,  who  roiiseth  up  the  sea  so  that  its  waves  roar.  Jehovah 
of  Hosts  is  His  name.  16  And  I  put  My  words  in  thy  mouth,  (0 
servant  of  Jehovah),  and  cover  thee  in  the  shadow  of  My  hand, 
to  (make  a  new  spiritual  order  of  things),  to  stretch  out  (a  new) 
heaven,  to  lay  the  foundations  of  (a  new)  earth,  and  to  say  to 
Zion  "Thou  art  My  people." 

The  prophet  now  addresses  Jerusalem,  as  the  capital 
of  the  glorious  Theocracy  thus  to  be  set  up. 

17  Awake!  awake!  arise,  O  Jerusalem,  who  hast  emptied,  at 
the  hand  of  Jehovah,  the  cup  of  His  wrath  ;  who  hast  drunk  and 
swallowed  down  the  dregs  of  the  great  cup  that  made  thee  reel. 
18  There  was  no  one  to  lead  her^  of  all  the  sons  she  had  borne; 
no  one  of  all  the  sons  she  had  brought  up  to  take  her  by  the 
hand,  (when  thug*  drunk  with  God's  wrath).  19  Two  calamities 
happened  to  thee,  who  will  console  thee  ?  desolation  and  destruc- 
tion, famine  and  the  sword,  how  shall  I  comfort  thee  ?  20  Thy 
sons  fainted,  they  lay  (powerless)  at  the  corners  of  all  the  streets, 
like  a  stag  caught  in  a  net ;  they  were  full  of  the  wrath  of  Jehovah, 
the  rebuke  of  thy  God.^ 

1  The  expression  is,  literally,  a  figure  of  one  reaching  forth 
the  hand  and  greeting,  after  a  long  absence  from  them. 

2  Lit.,  "  is  given  (to  withering)  like  gi  ass." 
8  Jerusalem. 

*  The  reference  is  to  Jerusalem  on  the  eve  of  its  destruction 
by  Nebuchadnezzar. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  341 

21  Therefore,  hear  now  this,  thou  afflicted  and  drunken,  hut 
not  with  wine.  22  Thus  says  thy  Lord.  Jehovah, — thy  God  who 
conducts  the  cause  of  His  people.  Behold  I  take  out  of  thy  hand 
the  cup  that  made  thee  reel,  the  great  cup  of  My  wrath  ;  thou 
shalt  not  drink  it  again.  23  I  put  ic  into  the  hand  of  them  that 
afflicted  thee,  who  said  to  thy  soul,  "Cast  thyself  down  that  we 
may  walk  on  thee,  and  thou  madest  thy  back  like  the  ground 
and  like  the  street,  to  them  that  trod  over  thee.^ 

I  Awake,  Awake,"  put  on  thy  strength,  O  Zion;  put  on  thy 
best  robes,  0  Jerusalem,  thou  holy  city  !  for  heathen — uncircum- 
cised  and  uncleim — shall  no  more  come  unto  thee.  2  Shake  off 
from  thee  the  dust  (in  which  thou  hast  sat) ;  arise  and  sit  (once 
more,  as  a  queen) :  loosen  the  chains  (of  thy  slavery),  from  thy 
neck,  0  captive  daughter  of  Zion. 

3  For  thus  says  Jehovah  :  Ye  were  sold  to  Babylon  without  any 
payment  (for  you,  to  Me,  your  Lord);  ye  shall  be  redeemed  from 
her  without  money  (paid  for  you,  to  them).  4  For  thus  says  the 
Lord  Jehovah  :  My  people  went  down  of  old^  to  Egypt,  to  sojourn 
there  (and  were  oppressed  and  enslaved),  and  (at  a  later  time) 
Assyria  oppressed  them  without  provocation.  5  And  now — 
what  have  I  to  do  here  (in  Babylon),  says  Jehovah,  since  My 
people  have  been  torn  away  (from  their  fatherland)  undeservedly, 
and  they  that  lord  ic  over  them  yell  out  their  hatred  of  them, 
says  Jehovah,  and  My  name  is  continually,  all  day  long,  reviled. 
6  Therefore  My  people  shall  know  My  name,  (in  the  revelation  of 
My  Divine  power),  and  learn  in  that  day,  that  it  is  I  who  say, 
"  Behold,  here  am  I." 

Full  of  glowing  hope  *  the  prophet  sees  the  great  deliver- 
ance as  if  already  accomplished,  his  brethren  joyfully 
proclaiming  the  good  news,  and  messengers  hastening  to 
Judah  to  announce  them  there. 

7  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that 

*  In  the  ceremony  of  the  Doseh  in  Egypt,  lines  of  people  cast 
themselves  down  side  by  side,  while  personages  reported  holy 
ride  over  them.  See  Land  and  Book,  p.  156.  Lane's  Modem 
Egyptians. 

s  Isa.  lii.  »  Lit.,  "  at  the  first."  *  Isa.  lii.  7. 


342  THE    FIFTH   GOSPEL. 

brings  good  tidings,  who  proclaims  peace,  who  announces  good 
news,  who  proclaims  salvation,  who  says  to  Zion,  "  Thy  God 
reigneth  !  "  8  Hark  !  thy  watchmen  (the  true  prophets)  *  lift  up 
the  voice  (from  their  tower  of  vision) ;  they  lift  up  a  prolonged  cry 
of  joy ,2  for  they  see  eye  to  eye — (close  at  hand)  ^ — the  return 
of  Jehovah  to  Zion.  9  Break  forth  into  loud  rejoicing,  shout  all 
together,  ye  ruins  of  Jerusalem,  for  Jehovali  has  comforted  His 
people,  He  has  redeemed  Jerusalem  !  10  Jehovah  has  bared  His 
holy  arm^  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  nations,  and  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth  shall  see  the  salvation  of  our  God.  1 1  Get  you  out !  Get 
you  out !  set  forth  from  this  place— Babylon — take  nothing  that 
is  unclean ;  get  ye  out  of  the  midst  of  her ;  purify  yourselves  (O 
Levites),  who  bear  the  (sacred  Temple)  vessels  of  Jehovah.* 
12  (But  all  this  can  be  leisurely  done),  for  ye  shall  not  go  out  (as 
from  Egypt)  ^  in  trembling  haste,  nor  will  your  march  be  a  flight 
(as  it  was  then) ;  Jehovah  will  go  before  you ;  the  God  of  Israel 
will  guard  your  rear. 

From  this  vision  of  the  temporal  restoration  of  Israel, 
we  pass  to  a  new  and  distinct  section  of  the  prophet. 
The  Servant  of  Jehovah,  in  the  most  exalted  use  of  the 
title,  is  once  more  introduced,  nor  can  any  one  hesitate 
respecting  its  application  who  accepts  the  New  Testa- 
ment as  inspired,  since  the  passage  is  continually  referred 
in  the  Gospels  and  Epistles  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.^ 

1  Isa.  Ivi.  10.  2  Land  and  Booh,  p.  298. 

*  Num.  xiv.  14     Exod.  xxxiii.  11.     Num.  xii.  8. 

*  The  heroes  of  antiquity  threw  back  their  upper  garment  from 
the  right  arni  and  shoulder,  in  order  to  fight  without  hindrance. 
See  Ezek.  iv.  7.  If  one  were  unwilling  or  unable  to  fight,  he  kept 
his  hand  in  the  bosom  of  his  robe.     Ps.  Ixxiv.  11. 

^  The  land  of  Babylon  was  unclean.  They  were  to  take  nothing 
defiled  with  them,  and  guard  themselves  from  Levitical  impurity, 
since  Jehovah  was  their  leader.  The  Levites  especially,  who  bore 
the  vessels  of  the  Temple,  now  restored,  were  to  purify  themselves 
— by  cutting  the  hair,  and  washing  their  clothes  and  persons. 
Lev.  viii.  6.     Num.  viii.  6  ff. 

«  Exod.  xii.  39.     Deut.  xvi.  3. 

'  Compare  Isa.  xlii.  1  ;  Matt.  xii.  18  ff. ;  Acts  xiii.  47  ;  Isa.  xlix. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  343 

Jehovah  is  the  speaker,  and  the  wondrous  story  of  "  His 
Servant/'  the  subject. 

13  Behold  ^  My  Servant  shall  prosper ;  he  shall  be  high  and 
glorious  and  greatly  exalted. 

14  In  like  manner  as  many  were  shocked  at  thee — so  marred 
and  unlike  that  of  a  man  was  his  visage,  and  his  form  unlike  that 
of  the  sons  of  men — 15  so,  will  he  fill  many  nations  with  wonder;  2 
kings  shall  close  their  mouths  before  him  (in  recognition  of  his 
higher  dignity),  for  that  which  had  not  been  told  them  they  shall 
see,  and  that  which  they  had  not  heard  they  shall  behold. 

The  prophet  laments  the  coldness  with  which  his 
revelations  respecting  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  will  be 
received,  and  then  proceeds. 

8,  with  2  Cor.  vi.  2.  Isa.  lii.  15,  with  Rom.  xv.  21.  Isa.  liii.  1, 
with  John  xii.  38;  Rom.  x.  16.  Isa.  liii.  4,  wirh  Matt.  viii.  17. 
Isa.  liii.  5,  6,  with  1  Pet.  ii.  24.  Isa.  liii.  7,  8,  with  Acts  v.  32. 
Isa.  liii.  9,  with  1  Pet.  ii.  22.     Isa.  liii.  12,  with  Luke  xxii.  37. 

Various  critics  have  advanced  one  or  other  of  the  following 
views.  1.  That  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  was  the  whole  body  of  the 
Exile.«!.  2.  The  better  portion  of  them.  3  The  idealized  office  of 
the  prophets,  especially  the  Messiah,  the  ideal  of  all  prophets. 
4  The  Messiah.  The  passages  especially  included  in  these  inter- 
pretations are  Isa.  xlii.  1-7;  xiix.  1-9;  lii.  12;  liii.  12. 

1  Isa.  lii. 

2  The  verb  here  is  always  tran.^lated  "  Sprinkle,"  in  the  A.  Y,, 
but  this  gives  no  intelligible  meaning.  In  harmony  with  Hebrew 
usage,  Jewish  interpreters  understand  it  of  the  dashing  up  of 
water,  so  as  to  scatter  it  in  separate  drops,  and  apply  it  to  the 
casting  out  of  the  Gentiles  before  Israel.  Miihlau  und  Yolck, 
following  Gesenins  {Thes.,  p.  868),  compare  the  Arab  Xaza — (same 
sound  as  Heb.  verb),  and  give  the  meaning  of  "  springing  up  for 
joy  or  fear."  Thence  it  is  used  of  water  *'  springing  up  "  over  any 
obstacle,  and  hence  of  its  being  sprinkled,  or  thrown  off  in  drops 
by  any  sudden  force.  "  To  sprinkle,"  so  as  to  purify  from  guilt, 
is  always  connected  with  a  preposition,  and  it  would  give  no 
fitting  parallel  here  to  the  rest  of  the  verse. 


344  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

I  Who  has  believed  *  our  report,^  and  to  whom  has  the  arm  of 
Jehovah — His  infinite  might — been  revealed?  2  For  he  (the 
Servant  of  Jehovah)  grew  up  before  Him ^  like  a  tender  shoot-* 
and  as  a  sucker  (from  a  root)  in  parched  ground;  he  had  no  form 
nor  comeliness,^  and  when  we  looked  there  was  no  beauty  that 
we  should  desire  him.  3  He  was  despised  and  rejected  of  men, 
a  man  of  sorrows  ^  and  acquainted  with  grief,^  and  like  one  before 
whom  we  hide  our  face  ;  he  was  despised  and  we  esteemed  him 
not.  4  Yerily  he  has  borne  our  pains  and  carried  our  sorrows,** 
but  we  regarded  him  as  one  stricken,  smitten,  and  laden  with 
suffering,  by  God  (for  his  sins).  5  Yet  he  was  pierced  for  our 
transgressions,  he  was  beaten  down^  for  our  iniquities;  the 
chastisement^"  of  our  peace ^^  lay  upon  him,  and  with  his  stripes 
■we  are  healed.  6  All  we,  like  sheep,  had  gone  astray,  we  had 
turned,  every  one,  to  his  own  way,  yet  Jehovah  caused  the 
iniquity  of  us  all  to  come  on  him.^^  7  He  was  evil  treated,  but 
he  suffered  willingly  and  opened  not  his  mouth;  like  the  sheep 
that  is  led  to  the  slaughter,  and  the  lamb  that  is  dumb  before 
its  shearers,  so  he  opened  not  his  mouth.  8  He  was  taken 
out  of  prison  and  from  judgment,  *^  and,  among  his  generation, 
who  was  there  that  said  to  himself,  '*  He  was  cut  off  from 
the  land  of  the  living,  he  was  stricken  for  the  transgressions  of 
My  people  ?  "     9  They  gave  him  his  grave  with  the  wicked  and 

1  Isa.  liii.  2  Message,  preaching,  tidings. 

3  So  in  Heb.  Text.  Ewald  proposes  "  us,"  which  certainly  suits 
the  following  clauses.  ^  The  sucker  of  a  tree. 

5  Some  render  it  "  glory,"  or  "  majesty." 

^  According  to  some,  "  pains,"  but  it  also  means  sorrows.  Exod. 
iii.  7.     Lam.  i.  12,  18.     Ps.  xxxii.  10  ;  xxxviii.  18. 

^  Eendered  sometimes,  "sickness,"  but  it  also  means  "grief,"  lit. 
"  knowing  grief,"  or  possibly  "  sickness."  Delitzsch  translates, 
"a  man  of  pains  and  acquainted  with  sickness."  So  also  Ewald, 
De  Wette,  Knobel. 

8  Or  *'  sicknesses."         •  Lit.,  "  hurled  down,  and  trampled  on." 

^^  Punishment.  "  Which  brought  us  peace. 

12  How  impossible  it  is  that  the  verse  could  bo  spoken  of  more 
than  one  person  ! 

^2  The  suffering,  from  God,  he  was  enduring  in  the  stead  of  the 
people. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  345 

with  the  rich  at  his  death,^  because  he  had  done  no  wrong  and 
there  was  no  deceit  in  his  mouth.  lo  Yet  it  pleased  Jehovah  to 
smite  him:-  He  put  him  to  grief.^  Bat  though  he  gave  His 
soul  an  otfering  for  sin,  he  shall  see  his  seed,  and  live  long,  and 
the  will  of  Jehovah  will  prosper  in  his  hand.  il  The  travail 
of  his  soul  (being  over),  he  looks  back  (on  his  life  and  work) 
and  is  satisfied;  by  his  knowledge  shall  My  righteous  Servant 
make  many  righteous,  and  he  shall  bear  on  himself  the  load  of 
their  iniquities. 

12  Thereloie  will  I  give  him  a  portion  among  the  great,  and 
he  will  divide  the  spoil  with  the  strong,'*  for  he  poured  out  his 
soul  to  death,  and  let  himself  be  numbered  with  the  transgressors, 
whereas  he  had  borne  the  sins  of  many  and  made  intercession  for 
the  transgressors. 

Another  address  to  Israel^  and  especially  to  Jerusalem, 
or  rather  to  the  ideal  Zion  of  the  future,  embracing  the 
Churcli  in  all  ages,  follows.  Read  by  the  faithful  among 
the  Hebrew  exiles  in  Egypt,  and,  far  off,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Chebar,  such  words  must  have  promoted  the  religious 
enthusiasm  that  made  the  Return  possible ;  for,  even  now, 
they  fill  the  heart  with  devout  emotion. 

I  Sing  aloud,*  0  (Zion,  thou)  barren  One  who  didst  not  bear 
children,^  (thy  people  being  in  exile) ;  break  forth  into  songs  of 
joy,  and  cry  aloud  in  thy  gladness^,  thou  that  didst  not  bring  forth ! 
Far  more  are  Thy  children,  though  thou  now  liest  desolate,  than 
the  children  of  the  married  woman,  says  Jehovah.  2  Widen 
the  space  of  thy  tents ; '  let  them  stretch  out  their  coverings 
without  stint ;  lengthen  thy  tent- ropes  and  make  thy  tent-pins 
strong.*  3  For  thou  shalt  spread  forth  on  the  right  hand  and  the 
left,  and  thy  sons  shall  drive  out  the  heathen,^  and  inhabit  anew 
the  (now)  desolate  cities. 


^  Heb.,  deaths  =  martyr-death,  pi.  of  honour. 
2  Lit.,  "  to  crush  Him  to  pieces  " — as  straw,  for  instance,  beneath 
the  rough  sledge.  ^  ^g  i.^\^  grief — misery— on  him. 

*  A  great  company.     Ewald.  ^  Isa,  liv. 

^  Isa.  xlix.  21.  7  Sing,  in  Heb. 

8  Lit.,  "break  out.'*  •  Lit.,  "nations." 


346  THE    PJPTH    GOSPEL. 

4  Fear  not,  for  thou  shalt  not  be  put  to  slianie ;  be  not  cast  down, 
for  thou  shalt  not  be  a  reproach;  but  wilt  (instead),  forget  the 
shame  of  thy  youth  (in  Egypt),  and  wilt  not  any  more  think  of 
the  reproach  of  thy  childlessness,^  (when  thy  sons  were  in  Baby- 
lon). 5  For  thy  Maker  is  thy  husband,  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His 
name,  and  thy  Redeemer  is  the  Holy  One  of  Israel — the  God  of 
the  whole  earth  is  His  name.  6  For  Jehovah  hath  called  thee 
back  again  to  Him  (as  a  husband  recalls  the  dejected  and  broken- 
spirited  wife  of  His  youth,  once  sent  away  in  shame).  7  For 
a  brief  moment  I  cast  thee  out,  but  with  great  pity  will  I 
gather  thee  (back  to  thy  land).  8  In  vehement  indignation  I  hid 
My  face  for  a  moment  from  thee,  but  with  everlasting  loving- 
kindness  will  I  have  pity  on  thee,  says  Jehovah,  thy  Redeemer. 
9  For  this  (punishment  of  thine)  is  like  the  waters  of  Noah's  flood 
with  Me  ;  as  I  swore  that  they  should  no  more  overflow  the 
earth,  so  I  have  sworn  that  I  will  not  be  wroth  with  thee,  or 
chasten  thee  (again).  10  For  the  mountains  may  move  (from  their 
place)  and  the  hills  be  thrown  (down),  but  My  loving-kindness 
shall  not  remove  from  thee,  nor  My  covenant  of  peace  (towards 
thee)  be  broken,  says  Jehovah,  that  has  pity  upon  thee. 

Jerusalem,  the  centre  of  the  new  Kingdom  of  God, 
will  be  beyond  measure  glorious.  The  boldest  style  of 
Eastern  imagery  is  used  to  bring  before  the  mind  the 
splendour  of  the  New  Theocracy  about  to  be  established. 
The  capital,  as  its  centre,  is  idealized  in  language  whicli 
could  never  be  literally  applied  to  any  city. 

II  0  Thou  afflicted,^  tempest  tossed  one,  who  hast  had  no  com- 
forter !  Behold  I  will  set  ofE^  thy  (white)  stones  with  glittering 
black"*  and  garnish  thy  foundations  with  sapphires,  12  and  I  will 
make  thy  battlements  of  rubies,  and  thy  gates  of  carbuncles,^  and 
thy   pinnacles   of   sparkling  precious   stones.       13  And   all   thy 

*  Lit.,  •'  widowhood."  "  Isa.  liv.  11.  3  Cement. 

^  Lit.,  "Antimony"  with  which  Jewish  women  painted  their 
eyelids.  2  Kings  ix.  30.  Jer.  iv.  30,  1  Chron.  xxix.  2.  Job.  xlii. 
14,  has  a  daughter  called  Kerenhappuch  = "  Horn  of  eye-paint." 

^  Stones  of  fiery  splendour. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  347 

children  will  be  disciples  of  Jehovah,  and  great  shall  be  their 
peace.  14  Through  righteousness  shalt  thou  be  securely  es- 
tablished ;  thou  shalt  be  (kept)  far  from  dread  of  evil,  for  thou 
shalt  not  need  to  fear,  and  thou  shalt  have  no  thought  of  terror, 
for  alarm  shall  not  come  near  thee.  15  Behold,  if  strife  be 
raised  against  thee,  it  will  not  be  from  Me ;  if  an  enemy  gather 
in  war  against  thee,  he  shall  fall  beneath  thy  walls.^ 

No  one  shall  prevail  against  Zion,  for  Jehovah  has  all 
the  agents  of  danger  under  His  control. 

16  Behold,  I  have  created  the  armourer  who  blows  the  coals  in 
the  smithy  and  makes  a  weapon  for  war,^  and  I  have  created  the 
destroyer  to  destroy.  17  No  weapon  formed  against  thee  shall 
prosper,  and  every  tongue  that  shall  rise  in  accusation  against 
thee,  thou  shalt  prove  guilty.  This  is  the  inheritance  of  the 
servants  of  Jehovah,  and  their  righteousness  given  by  Me,  says 
Jehovah. 

The  apathy  and  moral  insensibility  of  the  exiles  to  the 
exhortations  of  the  faithful  prophets  were  well-nigh  in- 
vincible. They  listened,  but  gave  no  further  heed.  The 
attractions  of  Babylon,  with  its  rich  soil  and  commercial 
prosperity,  outweighed,  with  all  but  a  few,  the  induce- 
ments to  return  to  the  barren  hills  of  Judah.  Where 
they  were  they  had  the  protection  of  a  great  empire,  and 
opportunities  on  every  hand  for  advancing  their  worldly 
interests ;  in  Judea  they  would  have  to  face  poverty 
and  danger.  Hence  they  were  as  little  disposed  to  go 
back  to  Palestine  as  the  rich  Jews  of  Europe  or  America 
are  at  this  moment.  Yet  no  supineness  on  the*  part  of 
their  hearers  could  damp  the  ardour  of  the  prophets. 
Sent  by  Jehovah  to  preach  the  Return,  they  exhausted 
every  form  of  address  to  make  it  popular  with  their 
fellow  exiles.     But  the  appeal,  which  next  comes  before 

*  Lit.  "he  shall  fall  to  thee  "  =  "  shall  be  broken  against  thee." 
2  Lit..  *•  for  its  work." 


348  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

US,  reaches,  beyond  the  immediate  national  crisis,  to  the 
infinitely  more  glorious  days  of  the  Messiah.  Jehovah 
Himself  is  introduced  as  urging  them  to  seek  the  bless- 
ings He  offers,  rather  than  the  material  good  afforded 
by  Babylon,  which,  after  all,  did  not  satisfy  the  deeper 
craving  of  their  hearts. 

I  Ho/  every  one  that  thirstetb,  come  ye  to  the  waters ;  ye  that 
have  no  money,  come,  buy  and  eat !  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and 
milk  2  without  money  and  without  price  !  2  Why  spend'  money 
for  what  is  not  bread,  and  your  earnings  for  that  which  does  not 
satisfy?  Hearken!  hearken!  to  Me,  and  eat  ye  that  which  is 
good,  and  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness.  3  Incline  your 
ear  and  come  unto  Me;  hear  and  your  soul  shall  live,  and  I  will 
make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  you,  even  the  neverfailing 
mercies'*  promised  to  David.^  4  Behold,  I  have  appointed  him^  a 
witness  to  the  nations — a  ruler  and  commander  to  the  nations. 
5  Behold,  thou  (0  Messiah-Prince)  shalt  call  a  people  that  thou 
dost  not  know,  and  a  nation  which  thou  hast  not  known,  shall  run 
to  thee,  on  account  of  Jehovah,  thy  God,  and  for  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel,  because  He  has  made  thee  glorious. 

The  prophet  now  turns  to  the  perverse  and  stolidly 
obdurate  among  his  countrymen,  urging  them  to  seek, 
while  they  might,  an  interest  in  the  wondrous  future  of 
their  race. 

6  Seek  ye  Jehovah,  while  He  may  be  found;  call  ye  upon  Him 
while  He  is  near.  7  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the 
unrighteous  man  his  thoughts ;  and  let  him  return  to  Jehovah, 

1  Isa.  hr. 

2  Jerome,  on  this  verse,  tells  us  that  it  had  led  to  the  custom, 
in  the  Latin  Churches,  but  not  the  African,  of  giving  wine  and 
milk  to  the  newly-baptized. 

3  Lit.,  "  weigh." 

*  Or,  loving-kindnesses.     Ps.  Ixxxix.  28. 

5  2  Sara.  vii.  12-16.  The  ideal  Hebrew  king  seems  to  be  taken 
as  an  anticipation,  in  a  measure,  of  the  greater  David,  the  true 
Messiah.  *  The  Messiah. 


THE    FIFTH   GOSPEL.  349 

and  He  will  have  mercy  upon  him,  and  to  onr  God,  for  He  will 
abundantly  pardon.  8  For  My  thoughts  are  nob  your  thoughts, 
neither  are  your  ways  My  ways,  says  Jehovah.  9  For  as  the 
heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  My  ways  higher  than 
your  ways,  and  My  thoughts  than  your  thoughts. 

The  promises  of  man  are  not  always  trustworthy,  but 
those  of  Jehovah  are  sure  as  the  course  of  nature. 

10  For  as  the  rain  and  the  snow  come  down  from  heaven,  and 
return  not  thither,  but  moisten  the  earth,  and  make  it  bring  forth 
and  sprout,  that  it  may  give  seed  to  the  sower  and  bread  to  the 
eater,  1 1  so  shall  My  word  be  that  goes  forth  out  of  My  mouth  :  it 
shall  not  return  to  Me  without  result,  but  shall  accomplish  that 
which  I  please,  and  make  that  prosper  for  which  I  sent  it. 

The  exiles  will  assuredly,  notwithstanding  all  that  is 
in  the  way  of  their  liberation,  go  forth  from  Babylon, 
with  joy. 

12  For  ye  will  go  forth  (from  Babylon)  with  joy,  and  be  led  out 
in  peace  ;  the  mountains  and  the  hills  will  break  forth  into  sing- 
ing, and  all  the  trees  of  the  field  will  clap  their  hands.  13  Instead 
of  the  thorn  bush  (of  the  desert)  there  will  come  up  (on  the  line 
of  march)  the  cypress,  and  instead  of  the  prickly  shrub  of  the 
wilderness  there  will  spring  up  the  myrtle  tree,  and  they  will 
remain  for  an  everlasting  name  and  sign  of  Jehovah's  (great 
deeds),  that  will  nob  pass  away. 

The  superstitious  and  merely  formal  observance  of 
the  Sabbath,  which  had  been  censured  by  the  prophet  in 
his  own  day,^  still  prevailed  in  Babylon.^  A  few,  how- 
ever, kept  the  sacred  day  more  worthily. 

I  Thus  says  Jehovah :'  Keep  the  Law  and  practise  the  right,  for 
My  salvation*  is  near  at  hand,  and  My  righteousness  is  about 

1  Isa.  i.  2  Ezek.  xx.  12,  13,  26 ;  xli.  24.  ^  isa.  Ivi. 

*  The  deliverance  from  Babylon.  For  "the  right,"  or 
"  righteousness,"  the  Kabbis  read  "  charity,"  making  that  virtai; 
the  equivalent  of  righteousness. 


350  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

to  be  revealed.  2  Blessed  is  the  man  that  does  this,  and  the  son 
of  man  who  holds  fast  to  it ;  who  keeps  the  Sabbath  and  does  not 
profane  it,  and  holds  back  his  hand  from  doing  any  evil.  3  Let 
not  the  alien  who  has  joined  himself  to  Jehovah  say,  "  Jehovah 
will  assuredly  separate  me  (as  an  alien)  from  His  people,"  and 
let  not  the  eunuch  say,  "  Behold  I  am  only  a  dry  tree."  4  For 
thus  says  Jehovah  to  the  eunuchs  that  keep  My  Sabbaths,  and 
choose  the  things  that  please  Me,  and  hold  fast  to  My  covenant, 
5  I  will  give  them,  in  My  house  and  within  My  walls,  a  memorial  ^ 
and  a  name,  better  than  sons  and  daughters ;  yea,  I  will  give 
them  an  everlasting  name  that  will  not  perish.  6  As  to  the  aliens 
who  join  themselves  to  Jehovah,  to  serve  Him,  and  to  love  the 
name  of  Jehovah,  becoming  His  servants  ;  those  of  them  who  keep 
the  Sabbath  and  do  not  pollute  it,  but  hold  fast  to  My  cove- 
nant, 7  I  will  bring  to  My  Holy  Mountain,  and  make  them  joyful 
in  My  House  of  Prayer.  Their  whole  burnt  offerings  and  their 
sacrifices  will  be  accepted  upon  My  altar,  for  My  House  will  be 
called  a  House  of  Prayer  for  all  nations.  8  The  Lord  Jehovah, 
who  gathers  the  outcasts  of  Israel,  says,  I  will  gather  others  to 
him  besides  those  gathered  from  his  own  tribes.^ 

The  fifty-eightli  chapter  of  Isaiah  throws  a  striking 
light  on  the  private  life  of  the  Hebrew  exiles  in  Babylon. 
Precise  in  their  religious  observances,  they  followed  only 
too  closely  the  characteristic  of  their  forefathers  in 
Palestine,  in  the  contrast  between  their  professions 
and  practice.  Jehovah,  addressing  the  prophet,  is  the 
speaker. 

I  Cry  ^  with  a  full  throat,^  keep  nothing  back,  lift  up  thy  voice 
like  a  war  trumpet,  and  proclaim  to  My  people  their  transgres- 
sion and  to  the  House  of  Jacob  their  sins.     2  They  inquire  of  Me, 


»  Or  "  trophy ;  "  lit.,  "  hand."     2  Sam.  xviii.  18.    1  Sam.  xv.  12. 
Ezek.  xxi.  24. 

2  The  prophecy  comprised  in  Isa.  Ivi.  9;  Ivii.  21,  is  translated 
in  vol.  V.  pp.  51  tf. 

3  Isa.  Iviii.  *  As  when  one  blows  a  trumpet  note. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  351 

indecil,  daily,  desiring  to  know  My  purposes,*  like  a  people  that 
practises  righteousness  and  has  not  forsaken  the  law  of  its  God. 
They  (even)  ask  of  Me  judgments  of  righteousness  (against  their 
oppressors),  and  desire  the  approach  of  God  (to  set  them  free). 

3  "  Why  do  we  fast,"  say  they,  "  and  Thou  dost  not  take  notice 
— why  have  we  humbled  our  soul  and  Thou  pay  est  no  regard  to 
it  ?  "  Behold,  (the  reason  is  because)  in  the  day  of  your  fasting  ^ 
ye  follow  keenly  your  business  affairs,  and  press  on  all  your 
worldly  work.^  4  Behold,  ye  fast  with  strife  and  wrangling,  and 
smite  (your  labourers)  with  the  fist,  in  wickedness.  Ye  do  not 
so  fast  on  such  a  day  as  to  make  your  voice  to  be  heard  on  high. 
5  Is  this  the  kind  of  fast  I  love,  the  day  when  a  man  humbles  his 
soul  ?  Is  (true  fasting  merely)  to  bow  one's  head  like  a  bulrush, 
and  to  lie  down  in  sackcloth  and  ashes  t*  Wilt  thou  call  that  a 
fast,  and  a  day  acceptable  to  Jehovah  ? 

6  Is  not  this  (rather),  the  fast  that  I  choose — to  loose  the 
fetters  wrongfully  put  on  (your  poor  brethren),  to  undo  the  ties 
of  their  yoke,  and  let  the  oppressed  go  free,  to  tear  off",  (in  short), 
every  yoke.'*  7  Is  it  not  to  break  thy  bread  to  the  hungry,  and 
to  bring  the  poor  into  thy  house  (to  lodge  and  feed  them);  and 
that,  when  thou  seest  the  naked,  thou  clothe  him,  and  hide  not 
thy  face  from  thine  own  people  ? 

8  (If  thy  fasts  be  like  this),  then  thy  light  shall  break  forth 
like  the  morning,  and  thy  prosperity^  shall  soon  spring  up;  thy 
righteousness  shall  go  before  thee,  (on  thy  way  back  to  Palestine), 
and  the  glory  of  Jehovah  shall  guard  thy  rear.  9  Then  thou 
shalt  call  and  Jehovah  will  answer ;  thou  shalt  cry  and  He  will 
say,  "Here  am  L"     If  thou  banish  oppression  from  thy  midst, 

*  Lit.,  "  ways,"  i.e.  in  respect  to  their  deliverance  and  restora- 
tion. 

2  Fasts  and  humiliations  were  observed  during  the  exile,  in 
remembrance  of  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  and  Judah.  Zech.  vii.  2  ff. ; 
viii.  19. 

3  Or,  oppress — drive  on — all  your  workmen. 

*  Even  in  Babylon  the  richer  Jews  had  enslaved  the  poorer, 
contrary  to  the  Law.  Debtors  could  be  used  as  servants  for  six 
years,  but  must  then  be  set  free.  Ex.  xxi.  2.  Lev.  xxv.  39  ff. 
Deut.  XV.  12  ff. 

*  Lit.,  **  the  healing  of  thy  wound." 


352  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

and  the  pointing  of  the  finger  (at  the  wretched,  in  contempt  and 
derision),  and  fierce  and  contentious  words  ;  ^  if  thou  reach  to  the 
hungry  the  food  in  which  thou  thyself  delightest,  and  satisfy  the 
soul  of  the  wretched;  then  shall  thy  light  rise  through  the  gloom 
(of  thy  present  exile),  and  thy  darkness  will  be  like  noonday, 
1 1  and  Jehovah  will  lead  thee  continually,  and  satisfy  thy  wants  - 
in  the  thirsty  desert,  and  fill  thy  bones  with  marrow,  and  thou 
shalt  be  like  a  well-watered  garden,^  like  a  spring  of  water,  whose 
stream  never  fails.'*  I2  And  thy  sons  shall  rebuild  the  ruins  of 
the  past ;  thou  shalt  raise  up  again  the  foundations  of  former 
generations,  and  they  will  call  thee  "  The  Rebuilder  of  the  ruins,"  * 
"  The  Restorer  of  the  inhabited  streets." 

13  If  thou  keep  back  thy  foot  from  the  Sabbath  so  that 
thou  dost  not  follow  thy  business  on  My  holy  day,  if  thou  call 
the  Sabbath  "  a  delight,  the  holy  (day)  of  Jehovah,  that  is  to  be 
reverenced,"  and  thyself  honour  it  by  not  doing  thine  own  work  on 
it,  or  following  thine  own  business,  or  speaking  (vain)  words, 
14  then  thou  shalt  delight  thyself  in  Jehovah,  and  I  will  make 
thee  march  in,  over  the  heights  of  the  land,  and  feed  thee  with 
(the  fruits  of)  the  inheritance  of  Jacob,  thy  father;  for  the  mouth 
of  Jehovah  has  spoken  it. 

The  delay  in  the  appearance  of  God  on  behalf  of  the 
exiles  is  on  account  of  their  sins. 

I  Behold  *  the  hand  of  Jehovah  is  not  too  short  to  deliver  (you), 
nor  is  His  ear  dull  so  as  not  to  hear,  2  but  your  iniquities  have 
separated  between  you  and  your  God,  and  your  sins  have  hidden 
His  face  from  you,  that  He  will  not  hear,  3  for  your  hands  are  foul 
with  blood,  and  your  fingers  with  iniquity ;  your  lips  speak  lies, 
your  tongues  murmur  wickedness.  4  Every  one  accuses  the  other 
on  unjust  grounds;  no  one  judges  with  honesty;  they  trust  in 
words  void  of  truth,  they  speak  falsely,  they  brood  over^  mischief 
and  bring  forth  iniquity.  5  They  hatch  adder's  eggs,  (so  evil  are 
their  doings) ;    they  weave  spider's  webs,  (so  vain  and  idle  are 

1  See  Isa.  Iviii.  4.     Lit.,  "  evil  words."  2  lj^.,  "  soul.'* 

3  See  illustration,  vol.  v.  p.  304.  "•  Lit.,  "  deceives." 

5  Lit.,  "  gaps."  *  Isa.  lix. 
7  Lit.,  "  conceive.'* 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  353 

their  schemes).  He  that  eats  one  of  their  eggs,  (who  opposes 
their  plans),  will  die,  and  if  one  of  these  eggs  be  trodden  on,  an 
adder  comes  out  of  it.  6  Their  webs  will  not  do  for  clothes,  neither 
can  men  cover  themselves  with  their  works — (no  use  or  good 
comes  of  them) ;  their  deeds  ate  deeds  of  -wickeduev^s,  violence  is 
in  their  hands,  7  their  feet  run  to  evil  and  hasten  to  shed  innocent 
blood;  their  thoughts  of  iniquity,  desolation,  and  de;>truction, 
mark  their  paths.  8  They  do  not  know  the  way  of  peace,  and 
there  is  no  uprightness  in  their  course ;  they  make  their  paths 
crooked  for  their  own  ends ;  whoever  walks  in  them  shall  not 
know  peace. 

9  It  is  on  this  account  that  (God's)  judgment  (on  our  oppres- 
sors) is  (still)  far  from  us,  and  that  (His)  righteousness,  (bringing 
deliverance),  does  not  come  to  us  ;  we  wait  for  light,  but  behold 
darkness;^  for  the  morning  beams,  but  walk  in  thick  night. 
10  We  grope  along  the  wall  like  blind  men,  like  men  without 
eyes;  we  stumble  (even)  at  noon,  as  if  it  were  twilight;  we  are  in 
thick  darkness,^  like  dead  men.  11  We  all  growl  like  bears, 
(in  our  groaning),  and  mourn  like  doves ;  ^  we  wait  for  judgment, 
but  it  does  not  come;  for  deliverance,  but  it  remains  far  from  us. 

12  For  our  transgressions  are  many  before  Thee,  and  our  sins 
witness  against  us ;  our  transgressions  are  before  us ;  ■*  our  sins 
are  known  to  us,  13  even  our  apostasy  and  denial  of  Jehovah, 
our  departing  away  from  our  God,  our  hard  and  false  speaking, 
inventing  and  uttering  from  the  heart  lying  words.  14  Yea, 
justice  is  thrust  back,  and  uprightness  made  to  stand  far  off,  for 
truth  has  stumbled  in  the  market  place,  and  justice  is  not  allowed 
to  enter  (the  place  of  judgment).  15  Truth,  indeed,  is  left  behind, 
(and  is  not  to  be  found  before  our  judges)  and  he  who  keeps 
himself  from  wrong  doing  is  plundered. 

Jehovah  has  seen  all  this  and  it  has  been  evil  in  His  eyes 
that  there  was  no  justice  (among  you,  between  man  and  man). 
16  He  has  seen  that  there  was  no  man  (to  stand  up  for  the  right) 

*  Light  and  darkness  =  prosperity  and  adversity. 

2  Ewald  and  Delitzsch,  by  an  emendation,  read  "among  those 
full  of  life." 

'  The  note  of  the  turtle  dove  is  always  mournful.  Heard  in 
the  gardens  of  Damascus  it  makes  a  low  sound  like  a  sigh,  that 
is  very  plaintive.  ■*  Lit.,  "  with  us." 

VOL.   VI.  A  A 


354  THE    FIFTH   GOSPEL. 

and  wondered  that  there  was  no  one  to  come  between  (the  wrong 
doer  and  the  wronged),  no  one  to  stay  the  plague  by  interpos- 
ing, (like  Aaron),  between  the  sound  and  the  stricken.  Since, 
therefore,  there  was  no  one  who  stood  up  for  Jehovah,  His  own 
right  arm  brought  deliverance  to  Him  (from  this  state  of  things) 
and  His  own  righteousness  upheld  Him.  17  And  He  put  on 
righteousness  as  a  coat  of  mail,  and  the  helmet  of  victory  on  His 
head,  and  the  clothing  of  vengeance  for  a  dress,  and  clad  Himself 
with  zeal  like  a  war  cloak,  18  and  He  will  requite  them  according 
to  their  deserts;  wrath  to  His  enemies,  punishment  to  His  foes; 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  western  lands,^  retribution.  19  And 
they  will  fear  the  name  of  Jehovah  from  the  going  down  of  the 
sun,  and  His  majesty  from  its  rising,  for  He  will  come  like  a  flood 
that  has  been  pent  up,  on  which  the  breath  of  Jehovah  blows.^ 
20  Thus  will  He  come  as  a  Redeemer  to  Zion,  and  to  them  in  Jacob 
that  have  turned  from  their  sins,  says  Jehovah. 

Having  thus  redeemed  His  people,  Jehovah  will  make 
an  everlasting  covenant  with  the  true  spiritual  Israel. 

21  And  I — this  is  My  covenant  with  them,  says  Jehovah  :  My 
Spirit  that  is  upon  thee,  and  My  word  which  I  have  put  in  thy 
mouth,  shall  not  depart  out  of  it,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy 
children,  nor  out  of  that  of  thy  children's  children,  saith  Jehovah, 
from  henceforth  for  ever. 

The  glory  of  the  new  Jerusalem,  after  the  Return,  is 
the  subject  of  a  magnificent  ode,  fitly  appended  to  this 
rehearsal  of  the  everlasting  bond  between  Jehovah  and 
His  now  righteous  people.  In  the  first  stanza  the  prophet 
dwells  on  the  return  of  the  exiles. 

1  Arise,*  (Jerusalem),  shine  for  joy,  for  thy  light  has  come,  and 
the  glory  of  Jehovah  has  risen  upon  thee.  2  For,  behold  (though) 
darkness    cover  the    earth,   and    gross    darkness   the    peoples, 

^  Lit.,  "  islands,"  or  "  coasts."  Primarily,  the  nations  of  Asia 
Minor  who  resisted  Cyrus,  God's  agent,  but  also  all  the  heathen 
peoples  who  finally  oppose  Jehovah. 

2  See  Isa.  xxx.  27,  28.  »  Isa.  Ix. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 


355 


Jehovah  will  shine  on  thee  (like  the  rising  sun)  and  His  glory 
will  show  itself  upon  thee;  3  and  the  (heathen)  nations  will 
journey  to  thy  light,  and  kings  to  the  splendour  of  thy  brightness. 
4  Lift  up  thine  eyes,  round  about,  and  see ;  the  nations  all  gather 
together  and  come  to  thee,  and  (with  them)  ihy  sons  come  from 
far,  and  thy  daughters,  borne  on  their  side."  ^ 


The  heathen  world  will  be  converted   to   Jehovah,  and 
offer  gifts  in  His  temple,  now  rebuilt  at  Jerusalem. 

5  Then  wilt  thou 
look  on  and  shine  for 
joy,  and  thy  heart 
will  throb  and  swell 
for  gladness,  because 
the  wealth  of  the 
western  lands "  will 
turn  to  thee,  the 
riches  of  the  heathen 
nations  will  come  to 
thee.  6  Great  cara- 
vans of  camels  will 
cover  the  spaces 
around  thee  —  the 
young  he -camels^ 
of  Midian  and  of 
Ephah, -*  (its  related 
tribe) ;  the  whole 
people  will  come 
from  Sheba,^  bearing 
gold  and  incense,  and  raising  songs  of  praise  to  Jehovah.  7  All 
the  flocks  of  Kedar  ^  will  gather  themselves  to  thee  (for  oSerings 


CHIlDEEir   CA.BEIED   OX   THE   "  SiDE. 


^  In  the  East  children  are  carried  on  the  mother's  hip. 

3  Lit.  "  sea." 

^  Up  to  nine  years  old.     The  finest  animals. 

■*  They  lived  on  the  east  of  the  gulf  of  Akabah,  and  conducted 
a  great  caravan  trade.  See  Gen.  xxv.  2,  4.  Winer,  Realw.,  and 
others. 

»  Yol.  i.  p.  241.  6  Yol.  V.  p.  144. 


356  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

to  God),  the  rams  of  Nebaioth  ^  will  be  at  thy  service  ;  they  will 
be  laid  as  well-pleasing  sacrifices  on  My  altar,  and  I  will  glorify 
the  House  of  My  glory.  8  Who  are  these  that  fly  like  clouds, 
and  like  doves  to  their  dove-towers  ?  ^  9  Yes  !  the  western 
lands  ^  wait  only  for  a  sign  from  Me  ;  the  Tarshish  ships'*  first; 
to  bring  thy  (scattered)  sons  (O  Jerusalem)  from  afar,  their  silver 
and  their  gold  with  them,  to  the  name  of  Jehovah,  thy  God,  and 
to  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  because  He  has  glorified  thee. 

The  magnificence  of  tlie  new  Jerusalem  will  be  resplen- 
dent. Gifts  brought  from  every  land  will  contribute  to 
it,  and  the  alien  races  around  will  be  made  to  do  the  servile 
work,  like  the  subjugated  Canaanites  formerly. 

10  And  the  alien  (races  of  the  land)  will  build  thy  walls,  and 
their  kings  will  serve  thee.  For  though  I  smote  thee  in  My 
wrath,  T  will  have  pity  on  thee  in  My  favour.  1 1  And  thy  gates 
will  remain  open  continually  (so  great  will  be  the  concourse  of 
nations  through  them,  in  and  out) ;  they  shall  not  be  shut  day 
nor  night,  that  the  wealth  of  the  heathen  nations  may  be  brought 
into  thee;  their  kings  themselves  leading  on  the  long  trains. 
12  For  the  nation  and  kingdom  that  will  not  serve  thee  shall 
perish ;  such  nations  shall  be  utterly  destroyed. 

All  the  wealth  of  the  forest  will  help  to  beautify  the 
new  temple. 

13  The  glory  of  Lebanon  will  come  to  thee,  the  cypress,  the 
plane  tree,  and  the  sherbin-cedar  together,  to  beautify  (Jerusalem) 
the  place  of  My  sanctuary,  and  to  make  the  place  of  My  feet  (where 
I  rest,— the  Holy  City)  glorious.      14  And  the  sons  of  them  that 

1  The  tribes  south  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Afterwards  the  Nabatheans, 
with  a  kingdom  extending  from  the  gulf  of  Akabah  to  the 
Hauran. 

2  Schenkel's  JBih.  Lex.,  vol.  v.  p.  474.  Dovecots  like  towers, 
with  many  small  openings  for  the  birds,  are  common  in  the  East. 
Land  and  Boole,  p.  268.  Neil's  Palestine,  p.  239.  Knobel's  Jesaia, 
p.  482.     There  are  over  3,000  in  Ispahan. 

3  Lit., "  isles,"  "  coasts."  *  Yol.  iii.  p.  351. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  357 

(once)  afflicted  thee  will  draw  near  tliee,  bendinj^  low  ;  and  all  they 
that  despised  thee  will  cast  themselves  in  the  dust,  at  the  soles  of 
thy  feet;  and  they  will  call  thee  "  The  City  of  Jehovah,"  "  Zion  of 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel." 

The  prosperity  of  tlie  restored  State  will  be  wonderful. 

15  Instead  of  being  forsaken  and  hated,  with  no  one  passing 
through  thee,  I  will  make  thee  everlastingly  glorious,  a  delight 
from  generation  to  generation.  16  Thou  shalt  suck  the  milk  of 
the  nations,  (enjoying  their  treasures) ;  thou  shalt  also  suck  the 
breast  of  kings,  (receiving  their  tribute),  and  thou  shalt  know 
that  I,  Jehovah,  am  thy  Saviour,  and  that  thy  lledeemer  is  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel.  17  Instead  of  copper  I  will  bring  (to  thee) 
gold,  and  for  iron  I  will  bring  silver,  and  for  wood  brass,  and  for 
stones  iron,  and  I  will  make  thy  rulers  Peace,  and  thy  governors 
Righteousness.  18  Violence  shall  no  more  be  heard  in  thy  land, 
wasting  nor  destruction  in  thy  borders,  and  thou  shalt  call  thy 
walls  Salvation  and  thy  gates  Praise.  19  The  sun  shall  no  more 
be  thy  light  by  day,  neither  for  brightness  shall  the  moon  give 
light  to  thee  ;  but  Jehovah  (Himself)  shall  be  unto  thee  an  ever- 
lasting light,  and  thy  God  thy  glory.  20  Thy  sun  shall  no  more 
go  down,  nor  shall  thy  moon  withdraw  itself;  for  Jehovah  shall 
be  thine  everlasting  light,  and  the  days  of  thy  mourning  shall  be 
ended.  21  Thy  people,  also,  shall  be  all  righteous;  they  shall 
inherit  the  land  for  ever,  (for  they  are)  a  shoot  of  My  planting, 
the  work  of  My  hands,  to  show  forth  (in  them)  My  glory.  22  The 
smallest  (household)  shall  become  a  thousand,  and  the  least 
(clan)  shall  become  a  great  nation  :  I,  Jehovah,  will  hasten  it  in 
its  time. 

The  opening  of  the  next  section  of  the  great  prophet 
was  destined,  centuries  later,  to  be  read  and  applied  to 
Himself  by  our  Lord,  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth.^ 
Whatever,  therefore,  may  have  been  its  temporary  and 
secondary  references,  there  can  be  no  doubt  how  the 
Divine  "  Servant  of  Jehovah  "  understood  it. 

I  The  Spirit  2  of  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  upon  me,  because  He  has 
1  Luke  iv.  18.  ^  Isa.  Ixi. 


358  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  to  the  wretched ;  ^  He  has 
sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to  proclaim  liberty  to  the 
captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to  them  that  are  bound 
(in  fetters);  2  to  proclaim  the  year  of  grace  from  Jehovah,  and  the 
day  of  vengeance  of  oar  God;  to  comfort  all  that  mourn;  3  to 
grant  favour  to  them  that  mourn  in  Zion,  to  set  on  them  a  crown, 
instead  of  the  ashes  (with  which  they  had  strewn  their  heads);  to 
give  them  oil  of  joy  (with  which  to  anoint  themselves),  instead  of 
raiment  of  mourning;  a  festal  robe  instead  of  a  despairing  heart — 
that  men  may  call  them  terebinths  (stately  trees)  of  righteous- 
ness, which  Jehovah  has  planted,  to  show  forth  His  glory. 

They  will  rebuild  the  long-ruined  cities  of  Judah,  and 
be  served  by  the  subject  races  of  aliens  around,  they 
themselves  being  greatly  exalted  by  God. 

4  And  they  will  rebuild  the  ruins  of  former  days ;  they  will 
restore  the  desolate  places  of  the  past;  they  will  rebuild  the 
towns  now  destroyed,  the  places  laid  waste  in  past  generations. 
5  And  men  of  other  races  shall  stand  and  feed  your  flocks,  and 
aliens  shall  be  your  ploughmen  and  vinedressers.  6  But  ye  shall 
be  called  the  "  Priests  of  Jehovah  "  ;  men  shall  call  you  the  "  Ser- 
vants of  our  God."  Ye  shall  eat  the  riches  of  the  heathen,  and 
exult  in  the  glory  formerly  theirs.  7  For  your  shame  (in  the 
past)  you  will  receive  double  (honour  and  riches),  and  for  the 
reproach  (you  have  borne)  you"  will  rejoice  in  the  portion  (given 
you) ;  thus  will  you  possess  double — (the  wealth  of  the  soil  and  the 
wealth  of  the  heathen) ;  everlasting  joy  shall  be  yours.^  8  For 
I,  Jehovah,  love  justice;  I  hate  wicked  robbery,  and  will  give 
them  their  recompense  faithfully,  and  make  an  everlasting  cove- 
nant with  them.  9  And  their  sons  will  be  known  among  the 
nations,  their  offspring  among  the  peoples ;  and  all  who  see  them 
will  recognise  them  as  a  race  which  Jehovah  has  blessed. 

The  Servant  of  God  now  again  appears,  rejoicing  in 
the  promises  thus  given. 

^  The  idea  of  bearing  their   aflfliction  or  wretchedness  with 
humility  and  meekness  is  implied. 
2  Lit.,  "  they."  »  Lit.,  "  theirs." 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  359 

lo  I  will  greatly  rejoice  in  Jehovah,  my  soul  will  be  joyful 
exceedingly  in  my  God;  for  He  has  clothed  me  with  garments  of 
salvation,  He  has  covered  me  with  the  robe  of  righteousness,  as 
a  bridegroom  puts  on  a  priestly  turban,  and  as  a  bride  puts  on 
her  jewels.  For  as  the  earth  shoots  forth  its  green,^  and  as  a 
garden  buds  out  with  all  that  is  sown  in  it,  so  the  Lord  Jehovah 
will  cause  righteousness  to  shoot  forth,  and  renown,  in  the  eyes  of 
all  the  nations. 

The  sixty-second  chapter  brings  a  continuation  of 
these  promises,  and  an  assurance  of  their  fulfilment. 
The  speaker  has  been  regarded  by  some  as  the  prophet, 
by  others  as  the  Messiah,  and  by  still  others  as  Jehovah 
Himself. 

For  Zion's  sake  "  I  will  not  hold  my  peace,  and  for  Jerusalem's 
sake  I  will  not  rest,  till  her  righteousness  break  forth  like  the 
morning  light,  and  her  salvation  like  a  flaming  torch .^  And 
the  (heathen)  nations  will  see  thy  righteousness,  and  all  kings 
thy  glory,  and  thou  shalt  be  called  by  a  new  name,  which  the 
mouth  of  Jehovah  will  appoint;  and  thou  shalt  be  a  glorious 
crown  in  the  hand  of  Jehovah,  a  royal  diadem  in  the  hand  of 
thy  God.  4  Men  will  no  more  call  thee  "Forsaken,"  neither 
shall  thy  land  any  more  be  called  "Desolation";  but  thou  shalt 
be  called  Hephzibah,  ("My  delight  is  in  her"),  and  thy  land 
Beulah,  ("Married"):  for  Jehovah  delighteth  in  thee,  and  thy 
land  shall  be  married.  5  For  as  a  young  man  marries  a  virgin, 
so  shall  thy  sons  marry  thee:  and  as  the  bridegroom  rejoices  over 
the  bride,  so  shall  thy  God  rejoice  over  thee. 

Watchers  stand  on  the  ruined  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
looking  out  for  the  approach  of  the  exiles  under  the 
leadership  of  God,  who  will  fulfil  all  His  promises  of 
rebuilding  her  in  splendour. 

6  I  have  set  watchmen  on  thy  (ruined)  walls,  0  Jerusalem; 
they  are  never  silent,  night  or  day.     Be  not  silent,  0  ye  who 

*  Lit.,  "  sprouting."  2  jga.  ixiL 

*  See  the  verse  before. 


360  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

keep  Jehovali  in  remembrance  (of  His  promises);  7  give  Him  no 
rest,  till  He  establish  Jerusalem  and  make  her  famous  in  the 
earth. 

There  is  no  fear  of  God  forgetting  His  word.  On  the 
contrary,  He  now  repeats  it  in  a  new  form. 

8  Jehovah  has  sworn  by  His  right  hand,  and  by  His  mighty 
arm — Assuredly  I  will  no  more  give  thy  corn  for  food  to  thine 
enemies,  and  aliens  shall  no  more  drink  thy  wine,  for  which  thou 
hast  toiled.  9  No;  they  that  have  harvested  the  corn  shall  eat 
it,  and  praise  Jehovah;  and  they  that  have  gathered  the  grapes 
will  drink  the  wine  in  My  holy  courts. 

Those  who  are  supposed  to  be  yet  in  Palestine  are 
to  hasten  forth  to  meet  the  exiles,  and  prepare  the  way 
before  them  as  they  return. 

10  Out,  out  through  the  gates;  prepare  a  (smooth)  road  for 
the  returning  people;  throw  up,  throw  up  a  way  ;  clear  aside  the 
(loose)  stones ;  ^  lift  up  a  standard  (as  a  guiding  beacon)  for  the 
tribes!  11  Behold,  Jehovah  has  caused  it  to  be  proclaimed  aloud, 
so  that  even  the  end  of  the  earth  has  heard :  "  Say  ye  to  the 
daughter  of  Zion,  Behold,  Jehovah,  thy  Salvation,  cometh;  behold, 
His  reward  is  with  Him,  and  His  recompense,  (His  restored  people) 
before  Him  !"  12  And  men  shall  call  them  "  The  Holy  People," 
*'The  Eedeemed  of  Jehovah";  and  thou  (Jerusalem)  shalt  be 
called  "The  Sought  Out,"  "The  City  not  Forsaken." 

The  first  six  verses  of  the  sixty-third  chapter  form 
a  distinct  prophecy.  Jehovah  has  executed  fierce  ven- 
geance on  Edom,  and  returns  as  victor  from  it.  The 
passage,  as   Calvin  remarks,  is  a  declaration  that  God 

^  Just  before  one  of  the  Russian  grand  dukes  was  expected,  the 
road  for  forty  miles,  between  Jerusalem  and  Nablus — though 
generally  in  such  a  state  as  to  make  any  by-path  preferable — was 
made  perfectly  smooth  and  in  good  order  throughout.  The  stones 
were  gathered  out,  the  broken-down  embankments  cast  up,  and 
shelving  and  slippery  ledges  of  rock  on  the  brinks  of  precipices, 
covered  with  a  thin  coating  of  earth. — Neil's  Palestine,  p.  104. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  361 

will  interpose  for  His  people,  and  defend  them  from  all 
enemies.  But  Edora  is  often  used  as  a  symbol  of  the 
enemies  of  the  kingdom  of  God  at  large. 

Who  is  this'  that  comes  from  Edom,  in  bright-red  garments- 
from  Bozrah?  This  (Great  One),  splendid  in  His  apparel,  swaying 
to  and  fro^  in  the  falness  of  His  strength?  "  It  is  I,  who  speak* 
in  righteousness,  mighty  to  save." 

2  "  Why  art  Tliou  red  in  Thine  apparel,  and  why  are  Thy  gar- 
ments like  his  that  treads  in  the  winepress?  " 

3  "  I  have  trodden  the  winepress  alone ;  of  the  peoples  there 
was  none  with  Me,  so  I  trode  them  in  My  anger,  and  trampled 
them  in  My  fury;  and  their  blood  ^  was  sprinkled  on  My  gar- 
ments, and  I  have  stained  all  My  raiment.  4  For  the  day  of 
vengeance  was  in  My  heart,  and  the  year  of  My  releasing  (My 
exiles)  was  come.  5  And  I  looked  and  there  was  no  helper,  I 
was  amazed,  but  no  one  came  to  My  aid;  and  therefore  My 
own  arm  was  My  help,  and  My  fury  supported  Me.  6  And  I 
stamped  upon  the  people  in  My  anger,  and  crushed  them  to 
pieces  in  My  fury,  and  poured  out  ^  their  blood  on  the  earth." 

From  this  fierce  song  of  triumph  we  pass  to  the  still 
waters  of  prayer  and  praise.  Thanks,  confession,  and 
supplication  mingle  in  a  gentle  stream  which  is  in  strik- 
ing contrast  to  what  has  just  preceded.  The  mighty 
deeds  of  Jehovah  for  His  people  call  for  songs  of  grati- 
tude. 

7  I  will  celebrate  the  lovingkindnesses  of  Jehovah,  and  His 
mighty  deeds,  according  to  all  that  He  has  shown  towards  us, 
and  His  great  goodness  towards  the  House  of  Israel,  which  He 
has  shown  them  according  to  His  mercy,  and  according  to  the 

'  Isa.  Ixiii. 

2  Warriors  had  red  clothing.  Nah.  ii.  4.  Cyrop.,  YI.  iv.  1. 
Val.  Max.,  II.  vi.  2.     See  vol.  v.  p.  119. 

3  "Tossing  His  head "— Ges^^niits;  others,  "bending  to  and 
fro."  "*   =  Promise. 

*  Lit.,  "  sap."  ^  Lit.,  "  brought  down." 


362  THE    FIFTH    GOHPEL. 

multitude  of  His  lovingkindnesses.  8  They  are,  indeed,  said 
He,  My  people,  sons  that  will  not  break  their  plighted  troth, 
and  (so)  He  became  their  Saviour.^  9  In  all  their  troubles  (in 
the  wilderness)  He  also  was  troubled,  and  the  Angel  of  His 
presence  saved  them ;  ^  in  His  love  and  His  loogsuffering  He, 
Himself,  delivered  them,  and  He  nursed  and  cherished  them  in 
His  arms  ^  all  the  days  of  old. 

10  But  they  resisted,  and  grieved  His  Holy  Spirit;  so  He 
turned  to  be  their  enemy,  and  fought  against  them."*  1 1  Then 
His  people  remembered  the  days  of  old — the  days  of  Moses — 
saying,  *'  Where  is  He  who  led  them  through  the  sea  under  the 
shepherds  of  His  flock  ?  Where  is  He  who  put  within  them  His 
Holy  Spirit?  12  He  who  caused  His  glorious  arm  to  go  at  the 
right  hand  of  Moses,  dividing  the  waters  before  them,  ^  to  make 
Himself  an  everlasting  name?  13  That  led  them  through  the 
floods  (of  the  Jordan),  as  a  horse  on  the  (smooth)  pasture-land, 
so  that  they  did  not  stumble  ?  14  As  the  ox  goes  down  (from  the 
bare  mountain)  to  the  (fertile)  valley,  so  the  Spirit  of  Jehovah 
brought  Israel  to  his  place  of  rest ;  *  so  didst  Thou  guide  Thy 
people,  to  make  Thyself  an  everlasting  name." 

Israel  now  speaks,  or,  perhaps,  the  prophet  in  its  name. 

15  Look  down  from  heaven,  and  behold  from  the  habitation 
of  Thy  holiness  and  of  Thy  glory !  Where  are  (now)  Thy  zeal 
and  Thy  deeds  of  might  (shown  thus  gloriously  in  ancient  days)  ? 
The  yearning  of  Thy  heart '  and  Thy  mercies  restrain  themselves 
towards  me,  (in  the  long  delay  of  deliverance  from  Babylon). 
16  Thou  art  truly  our  Father,  for  Abraham  (is  long  dead)  and 
knows  us  not,  and  (so  is)  Israel,  (our  father  Jacob),  and  does  not 

*  He  saved  them  from  Egypt. 

*  The  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud  in  which  Jehovah  led  them  on. 

'  Lit.,  "  bare  and  carried  them."  See  Isa.  xlvi.  3,  4.  Exod. 
xix.  4  Num.  xi.  12.  Deut.  i.  3L  The  full  idea  is  that  given 
above. 

■*  Through  Assyria  and  Babylon  especially. 

*  Knobel  refers  this  clause  to  cleaving  waters  out  of  the  rock — 
but  you  cleave  the  rock,  not  the  water. 

^  Canaan.  ^  Lit.,  "  sounding  of  thy  bowels." 


THE   FIFTH   GOSPEL.  363 

trouble  himself  about  us.*  Thou,  0  Jehovah,  art  our  Father; 
"Our  Kedeemer"  has  from  of  old  been  Thy  name.  17  Why,  0 
Jehovah,  dost  Thou  make  us  wander  from  Thy  ways,  and  harden 
our  heart  so  that  we  do  not  fear  thee  ?  ^  Return  (to  us),  for  the 
sake  of  Thy  servants,  the  tribes  which  are  Thine.'  18  Thy  holy 
people  ^  were  in  possession  (of  their  land)  only  for  a  little  while,  ^ 
(and  now)  our  adversaries  have  trodden  down  Thy  sanctuary. 
19  We  have  become  as  if  Thou  hadst  not  ruled  over  us  from  of 
old,  as  if  we  had  never  been  called  by  Thy  name! 

The  prophet  prays  that  Jehovah  would,  at  last,  appear, 
to  crush  the  oppressor,  and  deliver  His  people. 

0  ^  that  Thou  wouldst  rend  the  heavens,  that  Thou  wouldst 
come  down  ;  (0)  that  the  mountains  trembled  before  Thee;  2  (that 
they  became)  as  broom  ^  which  the  fire  consumes,  as  water  which 
fire  causes  to  boil— to  make  known  Thy  (great)  name  to  Thine 
adversaries,  that   the  heathen   may   tremble  at    Thy  presence, 

*  Cheyne  sees  in  these  clauses  a  hint  of  some  popular  belief  in 
the  intercession  of  the  saints  of  the  race  for  their  descendants. 
He  quotes,  "  Rachel  weeping  for  her  children "  (Jer.  xxxi.  15). 
But  this  is  surely  a  mere  poetical  figure  of  surpassing  grandeur. 
So  also  the  instance  of  Lazarus  with  Dives  is  only  a  part  of  a 
parable  (Luke  xvi.  22).  In  all  ages  there  has  been  doubtless  a 
hope  that  the  holy  dead  might  plead  for  the  interests  of  their 
living  friends,  or  descendants,  or  fellow-believers ;  but  it  seems 
dangerous,  and  hardly  well-founded,  to  seek  illustrations  of  this 
fond  hope  in  the  words  of  Scripture.  Cheyne  translates  the 
present  passage,  "Abraham  takes  no  notice  of  us,  and  Israel 
(Jacob)  does  not  recognise  us  ;  "  but  this,  we  venture  to  think,  is 
scarcely  the  most  natural  interpretation. 

2  For  a  moment  it  seems  as  if  Jehovah,  by  His  withdrawing 
from  Israel,  were  leading  it  to  evil.  It  is  the  world-old  problem 
of  the  origin  of  evil.  Their  conduct  must  have  been  permitted, 
they  say,  by  Jehovah ;  He  could  have  prevented  it,  and  it  is  the 
cause  of  their  being  chastened. 

3  Lit.,  "  Thy  inheritance." 

*  People  separated  by  God  for  Himself.  '  Text  doubtful. 
6  Isa.  Ixiv.                           J  Or,  brushwood  or  stubble. 


36  t  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

3  when  Thou  doest  terrible  things  (against  them),  for  which  we 
had  not  hoped.  0  that  Thou  wouldst  come  down,  that  the  moun- 
tains trembled  at  Thy  presence !  4  For,  from  of  old,  men  have 
not  heard,  or  perceived  by  the  ear,  or  seen  with  the  eye,  a  God 
beside  Thee,  who  did  such  glorious  things  for  him  that  trusted  in 
Him.  5  Thou  meetest  him  ^  who  rejoices  to  do  righteousness, 
who  think  of  Thy  ways.  Behold,  Thou  art  wroth,  and  we  (confess 
that  we)  have  sinned ;  we  are  now  long  in  this  plight ;  shall  we 
(yet)  be  saved?  "  6  We  are  all  become  as  the  unclean  (heathen), 
and  all  our  righteous  deeds  are  like  a  polluted  cloth,  and  we  have 
altogether  faded  like  a  withered  leaf,  our  iniquities  sweep  us  off, 
as  the  wind  (carries  away  the  dry  leaf).  7  No  one  calls  upon 
Thy  name,  no  one  rouses  himself  to  take  hold  of  Thee,  for  Thou 
hast  hidden  thy  face  from  us,  and  givest  us  up  into  the  power  ' 
of  our  iniquities  ! 

8  Yet,  O  Jehovah,  Thou  art  our  Father :  we  are  the  clay,  and 
Thou  our  potter;  we  are,  all,  the  work  of  Thy  hand.  9  Be  not 
wroth  to  the  uttermost,  0  Jehovah,  neither  remember  (our) 
iniquity  for  ever  !  Behold,  consider,  we  beseech  Thee,  we  are 
all  Th}'  people !  10  Thy  holy  cities  have  become  pastures  for 
flocks,  Zion  has  become  grazing  ground,  Jerusalem  a  desert ! 
II  Our  holy  and  glorious  Honse,  in  which  our  fathers  praised 
Thee,  has  become  fuel  for  fire,  and  all  that  was  our  delight  is  laid 
waste.  12  Wilt  Thou,  in  spite  of  all  these  things,  keep  Thyself 
back,  0  Jehovah,  wilt  Thou  be  silent,  and  give  us  up  to  the  sorest 
affliction  ? 

To  this  touching  prayer,  Jehovah  vouchsafes  an  answer. 

1  I  have  listened  to  them"^  that  did  not  enquire  of  me;  I  have 
been  near  at  hand  to  them  who  did  not  seek  Me.  I  said  '*  Here  I 
am,"  "  Here  I  am,"  to  a  nation  that  did  not  call  upon  My  name. 

^  "  O  that  thou  wouldst  meet."  Ewald  and  Stier.  But  this 
seems  opposed  to  what  follows. 

2  A  corrupt  text.  De  Wette's  rendering  is,  '*  Behold  Thou  wast 
wroth  when  we  in  foretimes  sinned  in  Thy  ways,  but  yet  Thou 
didst  save  us."  The  sense  in  any  case  is  only  conjectural.  I  give 
the  rendering  of  Delitzsch. 

3  "  Hand."  *  Isa.  Ixv. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  365 

2  I  spread  out  My  hands  all  the  day  to  a  rebellious  people,  which 
walked  ill  a  way  that  was  not  good,  after  their  own  thoughts; 

3  a  people  who  provoke  Me  to  anger,  continually,  to  My  face ;  who 
sacrifice  in  the  gardens,^  and  burn  incense  on  (altars  of)  bricks;  "^ 
who  sit  in  the  (rock)  tombs,  (to  get  revelations  from  demons  and 
the  dead),^  and  sleep  through  the  night  in  secret  places,'*  to  (obtain 
dreams  from  the  gods);^  who  eat  the  flesh  of  swine,^  and  broth  of 
abominations  is  in  their  dishes  (at  their  idol  feasts);  who  say, 
"Stand  by  thyself,"  come  not  near  me,  for  I  am  holy  to  thee-^ 
(and  must  not  be  approached  by  the  "  unclean  ").  These  are  smoke 
in  my  nose,  an  ever  burning  fire,  (so  glows  and  smokes  My  anger 
against  them).  6  Behold,  all  this  (their  doing)  is  written  before 
Me,  (so  that  I  cannot  forget  it).  I  will  not  keep  silence  till  I  have 
given  them  their  due,  given  their  due  into  their  bosom.^  7  (I 
will  requite)  at  the  same  time,  says  Jehovah,  your  iniquities,  O 
ye  exiles,  atid  the  iniquities  of  your  fathers,  who  burned  incense 
on  the  mountains  and  dishonoured  Me  upon  the  hills  !  Yes  !  I 
will  measure  out  their  due,  first,  into  their  bosom  ! 

But  though  the  obstinately  ungodly  will  perish,  a  rem- 
nant of  faithful  ones  will  be  saved. 

8  Thus  says  Jehovah  :  As  when  the  new  wine  is  in  the  cluster, 
men  say,  *'  Do  not  destroy  it,  foi^a  blessing  is  in  it,"  so  will  I  do 

1  Isa.  Ivii.  5  ;  i.  29. 

2  The  top  of  the  altars  was  of  brick,  contrary  to  the  command, 
Exod.  XX.  24,  25.  See  Isa.  vi.  6.  Ovid.,  Fast,  ii.  35.  They  are 
here  contemptuously  called  "  bricks." 

3  Isa.  xiii.  21 ;  xxxiv.  14. 

^  Perhaps  inartificial  or  natural  caves,  where  "mysteries"  were 
celebrated.     See  Jerome,  on  the  text,  and  also  the  Sept. 

*  Isa.  Ivii.  5.     Chwolson,  Bie  Ssahaer,  vol.  ii.  p.  332. 

^  Forbidden  by  the  Law  (Isa.  Ixvi.  17;  Lev.  xi.  7),  especially  in 
a  case  like  this,  when  the  swine  were  offered  in  sacrifice.  Sacri- 
fices of  swine  were  very  common  in  antiquity.  Spenc.  de  legg. 
Eehrceor.  ritt.,  p.  137.  Mover's  Phonizier,  vol.  i.  pp.  218  flf. 
Paiisan.,  VI.  ii.  2.     The  Babylonians  offered  swine.     Chwolson. 

'  Through  heathen  sacrifices  and  lustrations. 

8  See  vol.  V.  p.  380. 


366  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

for  the  sake  of  My  servants,  that  I  may  not  destroy  them  all. 
9  I  will  lead  forth  from  Jacob  a  seed,  and  from  Jiidah  possessors 
of  (Canaan)  My  mountain,  and  My  chosen  ones  shall  inherit  it, 
and  My  servants  shall  dwell  in  it.  lo  And  the  plains  of  Sharon* 
(in  the  west)  will  be  a  pasture  for  sheep  and  goats,  and  the  valley 
of  Achor^  (in  the  east)  a  grazing  place  for  cattle,  to  the  people 
who  have  sought  Me. 

II  But  as  for  you,  (among  the  exiles),  who  have  forsaken  (Me), 
Jehovah  ;  that  never  think  of  My  holy  mountain,  but  set  in  order 
a  feast-table  to  the  (Baal)  Gad— (the  god  of  good  fortune)  ^  and  fill 
up  drink  offerings  to  Meni,'*  the  goddess  of  destiny:  12  T  have 
appointed  you  to  die  by  the  sword  ;  ye  shall  all  bow  yourselves  to 
the  slaughter;  because  I  have  called  and  ye  have  not  answered,  I 
have  spoken  and  ye  did  not  give  ear,  but  did  evil  in  My  eyes,  and 
chose  that  in  which  I  had  no  pleasure.  13'  Therefore,  thus  says 
the  Lord  Jehovah :  Behold,  My  servants  shall  eat,  but  ye  shall  be 
hungry ;  behold,  My  servants  shall  drink,  but  ye  shall  be  thirsty; 
behold.  My  servants  shall  rejoice,  but  ye  shall  be  ashamed;  14  be- 
hold. My  servants  shall  sing  aloud  for  joy,  but  ye  shall  cry  out  for 
a  broken  heart,  and  wail  for  sadness  of  spirit.  15  And  ye  shall 
leave  your  name  to  My  chosen,  to  be  used  as  a  curse  by  thera,^  for 
the  Lord  Jehovah  will  slay  thee.  But  He  will  call  His  servants 
by  another  name,  16  so  that  he  who  invokes  blessings  on  himself 
or  the  land  will  do  so  by  the  name  of  (Jehovah),  the  faithful  God; 
because  the  old  distresses  will  be  forgotten  (amidst  the  glory  ye 

1  The  plains  of  Sharon  (Sharon  means  a  plain)  extended  inland 
from  the  coast,  between  Lydda  and  Carmel.  Conder,  Handhooh, 
p.  309. 

2  The  valley  of  Achor  is  the  present  Wady  Kelt,  formerly  the 
north  boundary  of  Judah.     Conder,  p.  258. 

^  The  worship  of  Bel  or  Baal  is  elsewhere  charged  against 
the  exiles.  See  Isa.  Ivii.  9.  Feasts  was  part  of  the  Babylonian 
worship.     Bel  and  the  Dragon  3.     Biod.  Sic,  ii.  9. 

^  Lenormant  speaks  of  a  Babylonian  god  called  "  great  Manu." 
Gad  may  be  the  Hebrew  equivalent  of  Guttav,  the  Babylonian 
name  for  Jupiter.  Sayce,  Trans.  80c.  Bib.  Arch.,  vol.  iii.  pp. 
170-1. 

^  As  if  they  should  say  "  May  your  fate  be  like  that  of  so  and 
so." 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  367 

enjoy),  and  they  shall  be  hidden  from  My  eyes,  (so  that  no  repeti- 
tion of  them  need  be  feared). 

This  glory  of  the  restored  Theocracy,  including  the 
Church  in  its  spiritual  completeness  under  the  Messiah, 
will  exceed  all  that  language  can  describe. 

17  For  behold,  I  create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,^  and  the 
former  (heaven  and  earth)  will  nob  be  remembered  or  come  into 
mind,  18  but  ye  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  for  ever  in  that  which  I 
create.  For,  behold,  I  create  Jerusalem  anew,  so  that  it  will 
cause  you  to  exult  over  it,  and  (I  will  make)  her  people  a  joy. 
19  And  I,  Jehovah,  Myself,  will  rejoice  over  Jerusalem  and  joy 
in  My  people,  and  the  voice  of  weeping  will  be  no  more  heard  in 
her,  nor  the  voice  of  sorrow.  20  There  shall  no  more  be  carried 
out  from  her  (the  corpse  of)  an  infant  of  days,  or  of  an  old  man 
who  has  not  filled  his  course;  for  he  that  dies  at  a  hundred  years 
old  shall  be  regarded  as  a  youth,  and  the  sinner,  (who  was  wonb 
to  be  cub  off  early),  shall  be  struck  with  the  punishment  of  death 
when  a  hundred  years  old.  21  And  they  shall  build  houses  and 
inhabit  them,  they  t^hall  plant  vineyards  and  eat  the  fruit  of 
them.  22  They  shall  not  build  and  another  inhabit,  they  shall 
nob  plant  and  another  eat,  for  the  days  of  My  people  shall  be  like 
the  days  of  a  tree,  and  My  chosen  ones  shall  long  enjoy  the 
works  of  their  hands.  23  They  will  nob  toil  for  nobbing,  or  bring 
forbh  children  (bo  have  them  cub  off  by)  sudden  trouble,  for  they 
will  be  the  seed  of  the  blessed  of  Jehovah,  and  their  offspring 
(will  remain)  with  bhem.  24  And  it  will  come  to  pass  thab 
before  they  call  I  will  answer,  while  bhey  are  yet  speaking  I  will 
hear.  25  The  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  feed  together,  and  the 
lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox,  and  dusb  will  be  the  food  of  the 
serpent.  They  shall  not  harm  nor  destroy  in  all  My  holy  moun- 
tain (of  Canaan),  says  Jehovah.- 

1  Cheyne  undersbands  by  this,  that  Nature  itself  will  be  re- 
generated. But  when  is  this  to  be  ?  Bebber,  surely,  understand 
the  words  as  meaning  that  the  defecbs  and  shame  of  the  past  will 
be  done  away,  and  a  new  state  of  things — holy  and  happy — 
introduced. 

2  Isa.  xi.  6-9.     Gen.  iii.  14. 


368  THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL. 

But  the  mass  of  tlie  exiles,  in  spite  of  the  preaching  of 
the  prophets,  continued  cold  and  indifferent  to  spiritual 
religion,  joining  heathen  practices  with  the  recognition 
of  Jehovah;  and  while  ready  to*  rebuild  a  temple  to 
Him  at  Jerusalem,  if  restored  to  their  own  land,  re- 
mained strangers  to  true  religion.  The  last  chapter  of 
Isaiah,  therefore,  opens  with  a  passage  recalling  the  lan- 
guage of  other  prophets  and  of  some  of  the  Psalms,  in 
its  depreciation  of  merely  formal  worship,  and  its  de- 
mands for  a  broken  heart  and  contrite  spirit  as  the 
sacrifices  most  acceptable  to  God.^  If  Jehovah  accepted 
a  temple  at  their  hands  at  all,  they  are  to  understand 
that  it  is  not  because  He  required  it,  or  regarded  it  as  an 
adequate  honour,  but  only  in  accommodation  to  their 
weakness  and  human  needs.  Sacrifices  offered  by  others 
than  the  contrite  are  worthless  and  even  hateful  to 
Him,  though  He  accepts  those  presented  by  the  truly 
worthy.^ 

I  Thus  says  Jehovah  :^  The  heavens  are  My  throne  and  the  earth 
is  My  footstool.'*  What  kind  of  house  would  ye  build  for  Me  ? 
What  manner  of  place  for  My  rest  ?  2  For  all  these,  (the  heavens 
v^nd  the  earth),  has  My  hand  made  ;  thus  they  all  rose  into  being, 
says  Jehovah.  But  on  this  man  will  I  look  ;  on  him  who  is 
humble  and  of  a  contrite  spirit,  and  trembles  at  My  word. 

Sacrifices  offered  by  the  ungodly  are  an  abomination, 
even  when  they  are  such  as  the  Law  prescribes. 

3  He  that  slaughters  an  ox  (I  will  not  say  "sacrifices  "),  if  he 
be  not  My  true  worshipper,  is  hateful  to  Me  as  one  that  kills 
a  man;    he  that    sacrifices    a  sheep   is   uo    better    than  if  he 

1  Ps.  li.  17.     Isa.  Ivii.  15.     Ps.  xxxiv.  18.     Ps.  1.  8-15. 

2  Isa.  chaps.  Ivi.  and  Ix. ;  Ixvi.  20.  See  also  Jeremiah  and  Eze- 
kiel  passim. 

3  Isa.  Ixvi.  4  1  Kings  viii.  27.    2  Chron.  vi.  18. 


THE    FIFTH    GOSPEL.  369 

broke  a  dog's  neck,  (and  offered  Me  the  unclean  beast  ;^)  he  that 
presents  a  meal  offering  is  no  better  than  if  he  offered  Me  swine's 
blood; 2  he  that  burns  incense  is  no  better  than  if  he  bowed  to 
an  idol.  As  they  have  chosen  their  own  ways  and  their  soul  has 
delighted  in  their  abominations,  4  so  I  will  choose  calamities^  for 
them  and  bring  their  fears  upon  them,  because  I  called  and  no 
one  answered,  I  spoke  and  no  one  gave  ear,  but  they  did  what 
was  evil  in  My  eyes,  and  chose  that  in  which  I  had  no  pleasure. 

Judgment  will  be  let  loose  on  these  mockers.  The 
prophet  already  hears,  in  spirit,  the  cry  of  their  punish- 
ment, from  the  rebuilt  Temple  in  Jerusalem. 

5  Hear  the  word  of  Jehovah,  ye  that  tremble  at  His  speech. 
Your  brethren  that  hate  yoa  (the  heathen  and  ungodly  among 
the  exiles),  and  that  cast  you  out  for  My  name's  sake,  (telling  you 
to  be  gone  to  Palestine),  have  said  (in  contemptuous  derision), 
"  Let  Jehovah  glorify  Himself,  that  we  may  see  your  joy ! " 

But  they  will  be  brought  to  shame,  (for,  lo  I  hear)  6  a  sound  of 
tumult  ^  from  the  city  (Jerusalem),  a  sound  from  the  Temple,  the 
sound  of  Jehovah,  who  renders  their  deserts  to  His  enemies ! 

The  return  of  the  exiles,  and  the  restoration  of  Jeru- 
salem, will  be  effected  with  marvellous  suddenness  by 
Jehovah,  and,  as  He  has  already  promised,  He  will  turn 
to  the  holy  city  the  wealth  of  the  heathen. 

7  Before  she  (Jerusalem)  travailed,  she  brought  forth;  before 
her  pains  came  she  was  delivered  of  a  man-child !  ^  8  Who  has 
heard  anything  like  this  ?  Who  has  seen  anything  like  it  ?  Were 
the  whole  people  of  a  country  ever  brought  forth  in  a  day,  or  was 
a  nation  ever  born  at  once  ?  ^  But  as  soon  as  Zion  travails,  her 
children— the  restored  nation — will  at  once  be  born  ?  9  Shall  I 
bring  to  the  birth,  and  not  cause  to  bring  forth,  says  Jehovah ; 

*  Eccles.  ix.  4  2  j^^y  ^j  7^ 

3  Lit,,  "freaks  (of  fortune)."  ^  Lit.,  "  crushing." 

^  Gesenius  quotes  an  Arab  proverb,  "  Sweeter  than  the  birth  of 

a  boy."     He  says  that  the  Arabs  in  old  times  used  to  bury  female 

infants  alive.     Jesaia,  vol.  ii.  p.  300. 

^  The  sudden  repeopling  of  Jerusalem  looked  like  this. 
VOL.    VI.  B   B 


370  THE    FIFTH   GOSPEL. 

shall  I  who  bring  to  the  birth,  hinder  its  being  completed,  says 
thy  God ;  (having  done  so  much,  will  I  not  perfect  My  work  ?) 

The  prospect  demands  rejoicing  from  all  among  the 
exiles  who  love  Jerusalem. 

lo  Rejoice  ye  with  Jerusalem,  and  be  glad  with  her,  all  ye  that 
love  her;  rejoice  greatly  with  her,  all  ye  that  mourn  for  her 
(present  desolation),  1 1  that  ye  may  drink  from  the  full  breasts 
of  her  consolations  and  be  satisfied ;  that  ye  may  drink  eagerly 
and  delight  yourselves  from  the  dropping  fulness  of  her  glory.^ 
12  For  thus  says  Jehovah,  Behold,  I  will  cause  peace  to  stream  ^ 
towards  her  like  a  river,  and  the  glory  of  the  nations  like  an  over- 
flowing flood,  and  then  ye  shall  suck  (the  rich  plenty  of  her 
bosomj,  ye  shall  be  borne  on  the  sides  of  the  nations,  like  children,^ 
and  dandled  on  their  knees.  13  As  one^  whom  his  mother 
comforteth  (in  need  and  pain),  so  will  I  comfort  you;  yes,  in 
Jerusalem  shall  ye  be  comforted.  14  And  when  ye  see  (all  your 
prosperity),  your  heart  will  rejoice,  and  your  bones  be  vigorous  as 
young  grass,  for  the  Hand  of  Jehovah  will  make  itself  known  in 
His  servants,  but  He  will  deal  fiercely  with  His  enemies. 

Now  follows  the  judgment  to  be  thus  executed. 

15  For,  behold,  Jehovah  will  come  in  fire,  with  His  chariots, 
like  the  rushing  storm,  to  turn  His  anger  in  fury  (cm  His  enemies), 
and  His  chastisement  in  flames  of  fire.  16  For  by  fire  and  by 
sword  will  Jehovah  hold  judgment  with  all  flesh,  and  those  slain 
by  Him  will  be  many.  17  They  that  purify  and  consecrate 
themselves  to  enter  the  gardens  (where  idols  are  worshipped), 
observing  the  rites  prescribed  by  their  leader  standing  amidst 
them,^  that   eat   swine's    flesh   and  abominations — that  is  other 

^  Knobel  translates  the  clause,  *'  and  renew  your  youth  from 
the  increase  of  her  glory."  -  Lit.,  "  turn." 

3  Isa.  Ix.  4.  Children  are  very  often  carried  on  the  hips, 
sitting  astride.     See  p.  355.  "*  Lit.,  "  a  man." 

^  This  is  a  paraphrase  of  a  difficult  clause.  It  seems  most  in 
keeping  with  the  text.  Some,  however,  think  they  walked  after 
the  image  of  some  god  or  goddess.  On  the  festival  of  Istar 
or  of  Tammuz,  the  figure  of  the  god  was  borne  in  procession, 


THE    FIFTH   GOSPEL.  371 

unclean  creatures — and  even  the  field-mouse,'  shall  be  destroyed 
together,  says  Jehovah.  i8  For  I  (will  punish)  their  works  and 
their  thoughts;  the  time  will  come  when  I  will  gather  all  nations 
and  tongues,  and  they  shall  assemble  and  see  My  glory.  19  And 
I  will  work  (great  judgments  on  My  enemies),  as  a  sign  (of  My 
power  and  majesty),  and  I  will  send  those  of  them  that  escape, 
like  messengers,  to  the  heathen  nations — to  Tarshish,^  Phut,^  and 
Lud,"*  that  draws  the  bow;  to  Tubal,^  and  Javan,^  and  the  far  off 
coasts  and  islands  of  the  Western  Sea,  that  have  not  heard  of  My 
great  doings  nor  seen  My  glory — and  they  shall  make  known 
among  the  heathen  My  majesty.  20  And,  as  a  gift  to  Jehovah, 
these  heathen  nations  will  bring  all  your  brethren,  (scattered 
among  them),  out  of  all  the  nations,  on  horses,  and  in  chariots 
and  litters,  and  on  mules  and  dromedaries,  to  My  holy  mountain, 
to  Jerusalem,  says  Jehovah,  as  the  children  of  Israel  used  to 
bring  the  meal  offering  in  a  clean  vessel  to  the  House  of  Jeho- 
vah;  21  and  I  will  take  some  of  them,  also,  for  priests  and  for 
Levites,  says  Jehovah.'  23  For  as  the  new  heaven  and  the  new 
earth  which  I  will  make,  shall  remain  for  ever  before  Me,  says 
Jehovah,  so  shall  your  seed  and  your  name  remain,  (0  Israel) 
23  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  from  one  new  moon  to  another 
and  from  one  Sabbath  to  another,  all  flesh  will  come  to  worship 
before  Me  (in  Jerusalem),  says  Jehovah. 

24  And  (when  they  come  thus)  they  will  go  forth  (from  the 
city)  and  look  on  the  carcases  of  the  men  that  rebelled  against 
Me,  for  their  worm  shall  not  die,  neither  shall  their  fire  be 
quenched,  and  they  shall  be  a  horror  to  all  flesh. 

adorned  with  jewels  and  robes  of  rich  material,  attended  by 
her  maids  of  honour,  "Pleasure"  and  "Lust,"  and  they  went 
in  procession  to  meet  the  mourners  bearing  the  body  of  the 
dead  Tammuz.  St.  Chad  Boscawen,  from  a  cuneiform  record. 
Academy,  vol.  xiv.  p.  91. 

'  The  ancients  fattened  and.  ate  this  creature.  It  was  unclean. 
Perhaps  the  jerboa  is  meant  in  the  text.  It  is  still  eaten  by  the 
Arabs.     Lev.  xi.  29.  «  Vol.  iii.  p.  348.         »  Vol.  i.  p.  238. 

4  Vol.  i.  pp.  245,  261.       5  Yoi.  i  p,  233.  «  Ibid. 

7  He  will  not  restrict  Himself  to  the  tribe  of  Levi  or  the  sons 
of  Aaron.  Members  of  the  returned  "  dispersion  "  will  be  taken 
for  the  holy  oflBces. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

REDEMPTION   DRAWING    NIGH. 

THE  utterances  of  the  prophets  of  the  Exile  bring 
vividly  before  us  the  condition  of  their  brethren 
during  the  Captivity.  Their  treatment  seems  to  have 
varied  in  different  localities  and  at  different  timeSj  but, 
at  least  in  the  earlier  years,  the  iron  of  slavery  entered 
deeply  into  their  souls.  They  seem  to  have  been  settled 
in  colonies  here  and  there,  over  the  land,  working  at  all 
forms  of  bond  service,  but  allowed  free  intercourse  with 
each  other,  and  retaining  their  distinct  organization  and 
customs,  to  a  great  extent,  as  in  Judea.  Continued  rest- 
lessness and  plotting,  however,  brought  heavy  punish- 
ment on  their  royal  family  and  leading  priests  and  nobles, 
in  the  beginning  of  the  Exile.^  Contempt  and  hatred, 
moreover,  seem  to  have  been  lavished  on  a  race  so  in- 
tractable, culminating  not  unfrequently  in  the  dungeon,  or 
even  in  death.^  They  are  spoken  of  as  often  robbed  and 
spoiled,  snared  in  pits,  and  hidden  in  prisons.^  Pitiless 
cruelty,*  unrestrained  by  law,^  crushed  their  spirits,  till 
despair  settled  widely  on  the  various  communities.^ 

^  Isa.  xliii.  28 ;  liii.  5.    Jer.  lii.  11.  ^  jga^  xiv.  3. 

3  Isa.  xlii.  22.  ''  Isa.  xlvii.  6. 

5  Isa.  li.  13.     Jer.  1.  7-17.     Pss.  cxxiv.  cxxix.  cxxxvii. 
^  See  the  Prophets  of  the  Exile,  passim. 


REDEMPTION   DRAWING   NIGH.  373 

Gradually,  however,  matters  improved.  Many  were 
allowed  to  live  in  the  capital,  where  a  happier  lot  was 
offered.  Bitterness  gradually  subsided,^  and  they  began 
to  fall  into  their  place  as  a  recognised  portion  of  the 
general  community.  They  had,  moreover,  from  the  first, 
enjoyed  the  advantage  of  being  collected  in  groups  from 
the  same  localities  in  the  fatherland.  The  exiles  from 
Gibeon,  Bethlehem,  Anathoth,  and  many  other  places, 
found  themselves  among  old  neighbours  and  friends,^ 
and  the  Babylonian  authorities  had  even  been  considerate 
enough,  to  transfer  each  of  the  family  groups  and  connec- 
tions of  the  chief  houses  of  Jerusalem,  as  a  whole,  to  the 
same  district,  so  that  we  find  the  descendants  of  David, 
of  Joab,  and  other  Judean  patricians,  living  in  free  inter- 
course and  close  neighbourhood  in  Babylonia.^  Even 
the  poor  Nethinim,  the  slaves  owned  by  the  Temple,  and 
the  public  slaves  known  as  "  bond  servants  of  Solomon,'' 
had  been  set  down  in  communities  of  their  own.^  Still 
more,  permission  to  hold  land  and  vineyards,  and  to 
follow  trade  or  gain,  appears  to  have  been  granted  after 
a  time,  and  hence,  at  least  in  later  years,  many  of  the 
exiles  possessed  not  only  slaves,  but  horses,  mules, 
camels,^  and  asses,  though  the  mass  had  still,  necessarily, 
to  support  themselves  by  humble  labour.® 

Growing  contentment  with  Babylonia  as  a  home,  and 
the  abatement  of  enthusiasm  for  Judea  which  time 
brought  with  it,  must  further,  by  degrees,  have  made  life 
more  pleasant  for  the  exiles.     The  language  of  Babylonia, 

^  Ps.  cvi.  46. 

2  See  the  list  in  Ezra  ii.  with  the  parallel  in  Neh.  vii  26. 

2  See  the  lists  in  Ezra  and  Nehemiah. 

<  Ibid. 

5  Ibid.     Isa.  Iviii.  3-6.     Ezra  ii.  65. 

«  Jos.,  Ant.,  XVIII.  ix.  1. 


374  REDEMPTION   DEAWING   NIGH. 

moreover,  was  so  closely  related  to  Hebrew,  and  its  use 
was  so  easy,  that  it  ultimately  supplanted  the  latter,  thus 
introducing  once  more  among  the  descendants  of  their 
great  ancestor  Abraham,  his  long-disused  dialect,  and 
leaving  that  of  Palestine,  which  had  been  for  ages  adopted 
in  its  place,  to  become  obsolete.  Ezekiel  and  Daniel 
show  this  change  to  have  begun  early ;  part  of  their 
writings  being  in  Aramaic  or  "  Chaldee.'"  Still  more, 
the  ability  and  virtues,  and  even  the  beauty  of  not  a 
few,  from  the  first  won  notice  for  them  in  the  highest 
quarters,  as  we  see  in  the  instances  of  Daniel  and  his 
companions,  and,  at  a  later  period,  in  those  of  Nehemiah 
and  Queen  Esther. 

The  short  reign  of  Evil  Merodach,  B.C.  561-559,^ 
brought  still  brighter  times  to  the  exiles.  Jehoiachin,  who 
had  lain  in  a  dungeon  for  thirty-seven  years,  was  at  last  set 
free,  and  seated  at  the  table  of  the  Great  King,  clothed  in 
royal  robes.  Shut  up  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  now  a 
man  of  fifty-five,  we  can  scarcely  doubt  that  his  restored 
influence  was  exerted  on  behalf  of  his  brethren,  who, 
through  all  his  sufferings,  had  loyally  clung  to  him  as 
their  king.  But  two  years  later,  the  weak  and  effeminate 
son  of  Nebuchadnezzar  was  murdered  by  his  brother-in- 
law,  Neriglissar,  who  held  the  throne  from  B.C.  559  to 
B.C.  556,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  a  minor, 
who  perished  within  nine  months  by  a  conspiracy  of  the 
nobles.  One  of  these,  Nabonidus,^  as  has  already  been 
said,^  gained  the  vacant  throne,  and  held  it  from  B.C.  555 
to  the  capture  of  Babylon  by  Cyrus  in  B.C.  538 — a  period 
of  seventeen  years.  It  was  Belshazzar,  the  eldest  son 
of  this  king,  who  was  slain  when  the  city  was  taken — his 

^  Schrader.  562-560,  Birch.  561-560,  Volck  in  new  edition  of 
Herzog.     See,  also,  this  vol.  p.  288. 

2  Or  Nabunahid.  ^  P.  289. 


REDEMPTION   DRAWING  NIGH.  375 

father  having  raised  him  to  a  share  of  the  throne  some 
time  before. 

The  whole  number  of  the  exiles  was  by  no  means 
great.  There  had  been  about  a  million  souls  in  Judah 
and  Benjamin  in  the  time  of  David — not  including  the 
Levites,  and  the  increase  in  the  four  centuries  since  must 
have  been  large.  But  not  more  than  perhaps  100,000 
were  carried  off  into  captivity.  Many  had  fled  to  Egypt, 
and  numbers  of  the  peasantry  remained  in  the  land,  so 
that  those  taken  to  Babylon  were  at  best  only  a  feeble 
remnant.-^  Among  them,  however,  were  the  noblest  of 
the  race,  from  whom,  as  from  a  root,  the  nation  cut  down 
so  low,  would  one  day  spring  up  again.  In  them  Judah 
had  her  last  centre  of  organized  public  life.  The  flower 
of  the  princes,  patricians,  and  priests  of  Judah,  of  its 
skilled  mechanics  and  once  substantial  burgesses,  had 
been  transplanted  to  the  Euphrates  in  numbers  sufficient 
to  secure  in  due  time  the  regeneration  of  the  State. 

But  the  calamities  of  the  nation  wrought  little  moral 
improvement  in  the  bulk  of  the  exiles.  Idolatry,  to  which 
they  had  long  been  accustomed  in  Palestine,  flourished 
among  them  in  Babylonia.  The  chief  men  treated  their 
brethren  with  the  same  cruel  harshness  so  often  re- 
buked by  the  prophets  in  Judah ;  oppressing  dependants, 
crushing  the  poor  by  extortion,  perverting  the  law  to 
their  own  benefit,  and,  finally,  neglecting  those  whom 
their  wickedness  had  reduced  to  misery.     It  seemed  as 

*  Jos.,  Ant.,  XI.  iii.  10,  has  tbe  strange  error  in  tlie  text  of 
making  those  who  returned  to  Palestine  4,628,000  persons  from 
twelve  years  old,  upwards.  Cohen  {Les  Pharisiens,  vol.  i.  p.  3), 
quotes  this  as  the  estimate  by  Josephus  of  the  Jewish  popula- 
tion in  Babylon,  but  it  is  clearly  a  mistake  of  some  copyist,  as 
it  refers  to  those  who  returned,  and  the  right  number  is  given 
elsewhere. 


376  REDEMPTION    DRAWING    NIGH. 

if  all  hope  of  a  national  restoration  had  perished ;  as  if 
nothing  remained  of  a  people  once  so  haughty,  but  the 
dry,  unburied  bones.  But  the  very  depth  of  the  evils 
endured  led  to  good.  Some,  as  we  have  seen,  learned 
in  their  wretchedness  to  seek  the  God  of  their  fathers. 
Such,  listened  eagerly  to  the  promises  of  the  prophets 
that  they  would  return  to  Palestine,  and  pondered  the 
sacred  writings.  The  priests  of  the  line  of  Zadok,  always 
untainted  with  idolatry,  had  brought  with  them  from 
Judah  the  Books  of  the  Law;  the  disciples  of  the 
prophets  cherished  the  utterances  of  their  order,  handed 
down  from  past  ages;  the  Levites  jealously  preserved 
the  Psalms,  composed  from  the  time  of  David  to 
their  own  day ;  the  "  wise ''  hung  over  the  collections 
of  sacred  proverbs,  and  books  like  Job  ;  the  chroniclers 
retained  some  of  the  national  historical  records.  Joel, 
Amos,  Hosea,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  and  other  pro- 
phets, became,  in  their  written  oracles,  the  '^  wells  of 
salvation ''  to  the  religiously  disposed.  The  "  songs  of 
Zion^'  rose  again  on  the  banks  of  the  Chebar,  and  in 
every  Jewish  colony  in  Babylonia.  A  more  thoughtful 
earnestness  spread  daily.  Men  read  in  the  inspired 
records  multiplied  proofs  of  the  truth  of  their  ancient 
faith.i 

Meanwhile,  the  course  of  events  strengthened  the 
Jewish  communities.  More  than  a  century  before,  the 
Ten  Tribes  had  been  carried  off  by  Assyria;  but  on 
the  destruction  of  Nineveh  numbers  of  them  had  joined 
themselves  to  the  exiles  from  Judah,^  and  thus  increased 
the  confidence  of  the  godly  in  the  restoration  of  the 
State,  since  this  reunion  was  itself  a  fulfilment  of  pro- 
phecy.     Deep  penitence  for  the  past,  and  determination 

^  Isa.  xxxiv.  16. 

2  1  Chroa.  ix.  3.     Neh.  vii.  34;  xi.  4.    Jer.  1.  4,  20;  li.  6. 


REDEMPTION   DRAWING   NIGH.  377 

to  be  true  henceforth  to  Jehovah,  increased.^  The  four 
calamitous  days  of  their  recent  history — that  of  the 
beginning  of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar, 
in  the  tenth  month;  the  day  on  which  the  city  was 
taken,  in  the  fourth  month;  the  day  of  its  final  de- 
struction in  the  fifth  month ;  and  that  of  the  murder  of 
GedaHah,  in  the  tenth  month — were  set  apart  as  solemn 
fasts  and  times  of  lamentation.^  A  religious  revival 
extended  from  the  common  people  to  some  of  the  higher 
classes.^  A  habit  of  observing  fixed  hours  for  prayer 
became  common.  The  time  of  the  incense  offering, 
morning  and  evening,  had  long  been  so  sacred  to  de- 
votion,^ that  the  word  "  incense "  became  at  last  the 
equivalent  of  prayer.^  Those  '^  who  feared  Jehovah  '' 
accustomed  themselves  to  meet  often  together  for  sup- 
plication and  religious  counsel;^  usually,  it  would  seem, 
as  in  later  ages,  by  the  sides  of  flowing  streams,  where 
water  could  easily  be  had  for  purifications.'''  The  face, 
moreover,  was  always  turned  in  prayer  towards  the  site 
of  the  ruined  Temple,  as  the  spot  where  God  had  once 
been  nearest  to  man.*  Noon  was  added  to  morning  and 
evening  as  a  time  for  supplication.^  Devotion,  from 
these  years,  gained  a  prominence  it  had  never  enjoyed 
before.  The  house  of  prayer  became  a  substitute  for 
the  Temple,^*^  and  not  a  few  penitential  Psalms  seem  to 
have  been  composed  for  its  services. 

While  numbers  of  Jews   from  the  Ten  Tribes  found 

^  Isa.  Ixvi.  2,  5.     Ezra  x.  3. 

2  Zech.  vii.  1,  5,  19.     Isa.  Ixi.  3;  Ixvi.  10.     Ps.  Ixix.  11. 

3  Isa.  Ivi.  4.  4  Ps.  cxli.  2,  5,  3. 
5  Eev.  viii.  3.  «  Mal.  iii.  16. 

7  3  Mace.  vii.  20.     Jos.,  Ant,  XIV.  x.  23.     Acts  xvi.  13. 

^  Dan.  vi.  11.     We  see  the  practice  already  in  1  Kings  viii.  48. 

»  Dan.  vi.  11.     See  Ps.  Iv.  17.  ^"  Isa.  Ivi.  7. 


378  REDEMPTION    DfiAWING   NIGH. 

a  rallyinfy-point,  after  the  fall  of  Assyria,  among  the 
exiles  in  Babylonia,  the  national  sentiment  was  flattered, 
and  loyalty  to  the  ancient  faith  intensified,  by  the 
spectacle  of  many  heathen  proselytes  accepting  the 
Hebrew  creed.^  The  perusal  of  copies  of  portions  of 
the  sacred  writings  can  hardly  have  helped  this,  for  the 
language  in  which  the  Jewish  Scriptures  were  written 
was  not  familiar  to  many  Babylonians.  It  must  have 
been  the  result,  in  most  cases,  of  the  earnest  efforts  of  the 
godly  among  the  exiles,  anxious  to  atone  for  their  past 
indifference,  by  spreading  the  glory  of  Jehovah.  The 
fact  that  not  a  few  Jews,  like  Daniel,  were  in  prominent 
positions,  and  the  constant  tendency  to  a  closer  intimacy 
in  the  affairs  of  ordinary  life,  doubtless  aided  this  mis- 
sionary enthusiasm.  Moreover,  the  generation  born  in 
Babylonia  must  have  felt  much  more  kindly  towards  it 
and  its  people  than  their  fathers  had  done.  Some  ot 
them,  indeed,  even  assumed  Chaldean  names,  as  in  the 
case  of  Zerubbabel,  who  was  also  known  as  Sheshbazzar,^ 
and  that  of  Mordecai,  which  is  a  Babylonian,  or  possibly 
a  Persian  word.  In  such  circumstances,  the  immeasur- 
able superiority  of  the  Jewish  faith  over  idolatry  could 
readily  be  urged  on  the  more  thoughtful  of  the  heathen 
around.  The  poor  especially,  among  these,  if  we  may 
judge  from  the  experience  of  early  Christianity,  supplied 
adherents  to  the  true  faith;  the  humbler  Jews  mixing 
freely  with  them,  and  winning  their  favourable  regard. 
Once  gained,  these  proselytes  kept  the  Sabbath  and 
honoured  the  Law,  perhaps  even  to  the  length  of  sub- 
mitting to  circumcision;^  and  their  adhesion  reacted  on 
the  Jews  themselves,  kindling  in  them  a  still  greater 
pride  in  their  creed,  and  loyalty  to  it. 

»  Isa.  Ivi.  6.        «  Ezek.  i.  8, 11, 14, 16.     1  Esd.  ii.  12, 15. 
^  Isa.  Ivi.  6. 


REDEMPTION    DRAWING   NIGH.  379 

But  if  some  Jews  learned  in  exile  to  value  their  re- 
ligion aright,  too  many  became  tainted  by  the  heathen 
influences  around  them.  Babylon  was  the  London  of 
its  day,  with  a  similar  gigantic  commerce  and  huge  con- 
fluence of  visitors  from  all  lands,  for  business,  pleasure, 
or  religion.  Immorality  brought  no  shame.  The  very 
temples  derived  a  large  revenue  from  prostitution  in 
their  grounds.  Harlots  were,  in  fact,  part  of  their  re- 
cognised establishment,  and  it  was  even  a  law  that  every 
woman  should  offer  herself  at  least  once  in  this  way, 
in  the  service  of  the  gods.  Naturally,  the  mass  of  the 
exiles  caught  the  infection  of  so  impure  a  worship. 
Babylonian  idols  were  honoured  in  Jewish  households, 
many  of  which  further  disregarded  the  Law  by  feasts 
on  unclean  creatures  offered  to  these  gods.^  Jerusalem 
was  forgotten,  and  the  idea  of  a  return  to  Palestine 
treated  with  scorn .^  Large  numbers  became  virtually 
Babylonians,  and  laughed  at  the  fanaticism  of  their 
brethren  who  longed  for  Palestine.  Vice  and  wicked- 
ness of  all  kinds  flourished.^  It  was  clear  that  the 
Return,  when  it  came,  would  drain  off  most  of  the  clear 
wine  of  the  nation  that  remained,  and  leave  behind  it  a 
vast  body  of  lees.* 

The  prophet  Hosea  had  foretold  that  Israel  would  need 
to  be  led  once  more  into  the  wilderness,  to  quicken  her 
again  to  fidelity  to  Jehovah,  and  exile  beyond  the  Eastern 
desert  had  fulfilled  the  prediction.  The  wails  of  the 
Psalms  and  prophets  of  the  time  only  expressed  the  in- 
extinguishable sorrow  of  the  better  class  of  the  banished. 

1  Isa.  Ixv.  3-11;  Ixvi.  17.         ^  jga^  i^iv.  H.         3  j^^  ^^^  7  g. 

*  In  the  generations  after  the  Return,  there  was  a  great  re- 
vival among  those  Jews  who  remained  in  Babylonia.  They 
became  as  zealous  for  the  Law  and  the  Temple  as  their  brethren 
in  Judah. 


380  REDEMPTION    DRAWING   NIGH. 

The  sword,  the  dungeon,  the  lash ;  hunger,  nakedness, 
scorn,  as  already  noted,  had  marked  the  first  days,  at 
least,  of  the  Exile.  Of  the  multitude  that  left  Judah, 
numbers  had  perished  on  the  way.^  To  the  survivors, 
life  among  the  unclean  must  have  been  a  perpetual 
agony,  from  the  deadly  peril  at  every  moment  of  break- 
ing the  Law  by  heathen  defilements.  Even  pulse  was 
preferable  to  the  dainties  of  the  royal  table  under  such 
circumstances.^  The  hundred  and  second  Psalm,  which 
dates  from  the  closing  years  of  the  Exile,  brings  the 
times  vividly  before  us.  The  weary  servants  of  God, 
longing  for  the  promised  Return,  poured  forth,  in  its 
strains,  the  grief  weighing  on  their  hearts. 

I  Hear  my  prayer, '  0  Jehovah :  let  my  cry  come  before  Thee. 
2  Hide  not  Thy  face  from  me  in  the  day  when  I  am  in  trouble  ;  in 
the  day  when  I  call,  hear  me  speedily.  3  For  my  days  vanish 
away  like  smoke:  my  bones  are  burned  (vvit,h  fever),  like  a  glowing 
hearth.  4  My  heart  is  withered  and  dried  up  like  grass,  till  I 
have  forgotten  to  eat  my  bread.  5  Throngh  my  loud  groaning 
my  bones  cleave  to  my  skin."*  6  I  am  like  a  pelican  of  the 
wilderness,  *  I  am  become  like  an  owl  amidst  ruins,  (so  forlorn 
am  I  and  desolate).  7  I  pass  the  night  sleepless,  and,  (while 
others  sleep),  I  am  like  a  lonely  wakeful  bird  on  the  house-top. 
8  My  enemies  speak  contemptuously  of  me  all  the  day  long ;  they 
that  rage  against  me  make  their  oaths  by  nie.^  9  For  I  have 
eaten  ashes  like  bread,  ^  and  mingled  my  drink  with  weeping, 
10  because  of  Thy  indignation    and  Thy   wrath  ;  for  Thou  hast 

1  Ezek.  xxxiii.  27.  ^  Ezek.  iv.  12-15.     Dan.  i.  6-16. 

3  Ps.  cii. 

^  Lit.,  "  flesh."     He  was  only  skin  and  bones. 

5  Both  unclean  birds. 

*  i.e.  "  God  make  thee  like  him — forsaken  and  wretched." 
Isa.  Ixv.  15.    Jer.  xxix.  22. 

7  As  a  mourner  he  sat  in  ashes  and  strewed  them  on  his  head 
(Job  ii.  8;  Ezek.  xxvii.  30),  and  thus  bis  bread  was  mixed  with 
them. 


REDEMPTION    DRAWING   NIGH.  381 

lifted  me  up  (from  my  native  land)  and  cast  me  forth,  ii  My 
days  are  like  a  long  stretched  out  shadow,  (soon  to  be  all  dark- 
ness), and  I  arn  dried  up  like  (withered)  grass. 

12  But  Thou,  0  Jehovah,  sittest  throned  for  ever,  and  Tliy 
glory  is  from  generation  to  generation.  13  Thou  shalt  arise  to 
have  pity  on  Zion,  for  the  time  to  favour  her,  yea,  the  set  time, 
is  come.  14  For  thy  servants  love  even  her  (ruined)  stones  and 
her  very  dust.  15  For  the  heathen  shall  (one  day)  fear  the 
name  of  Jehovah,  and  all  the  kings  of  the  earth  (be  awed  at)  Thy 
glory,  O  God,  16  when  (it  is  said)  "Jehovah  hath  rebuih  Zion, 
He  has  appeared  in  His  glory;  17  He  has  regarded  the  prayer 
of  the  utterly  wretched  and  not  despised  their  supplication." 
18  This  will  be  written  for  the  generation  to  come,  and  people 
yet  to  be  created  will  praise  Jehovah,  19  because  He  will  look 
down  from  His  holy  height;  Jehovah  will  look  down  from  heaven, 
on  the  earth ;  20  to  hear  the  groans  of  the  prisoner,  to  set  loose 
those  doomed  to  death;  21  that  men  may  extol  the  name  of  Je- 
hovah in  Zion,  and  praise  Him  in  Jerusalem,  22  when  the  nations 
and  kingdoms  gather  together,  to  serve  Jehovah. 

23  He  lias  bowed  down  the  strength  of  my  life;  He  has  short- 
ened my  days.  24  My  God,  said  I,  take  me  not  away  in  the 
midst  of  my  days — Thou,  whose  years  are  from  generation  to 
generation!  25  Of  old  Thou  hast  laid  the  foundation  of  the 
earth,  and  the  heavens  are  the  work  of  Thy  hands.  26  They 
shall  perish,  but  thou  shalt  endure;  they  all  grow  old  like  a 
garment;  thou  changest  them  like  a  vesture  and  they  change, 

27  but  Thou  remainest  the  same  and  Thy  years  have  no  end. 

28  The  children  of  Thy  servants  will  have  rest,  and  their  de- 
scendants will  continue  before  Thee. 

The  intense  devotion  to  Jerusalem  and  Jehovali 
breathed  in  this  Psalm,  marks  the  change  wrought  in  the 
better  class  of  the  exiles  by  the  Captivity.  It  broke 
the  charm  idolatry  had  hitherto  exercised.  Henceforward, 
through  all  the  future,  they  and  their  descendants  were 
fierce  monotheists.  Their  national  shame  and  suffering 
were  recognised  as  the  punishment  of  the  heathen  prac- 
tices of  their  fathers,  and  changed  them  for  ever  into 
worshippers  of  Jehovah  alone,  as  the  fires  of  Smithfield 


382  REDEMPTION    DEAWING   NIGH. 

made  Englishmen  Protestants.^  The  loathing  and  bitter- 
ness with  which  the  prophets  denounce  image-worship 
became  the  feeling  of  the  whole  Jewish  race.  In  the 
apocryphal  Letter  of  Jeremiah,  the  idolatry  of  Babylon 
is  painted,  for  the  execration  of  all,  in  the  most  vivid 
detail.  The  gods  of  silver,  gold,  and  wood,  are  described 
as  seen  in  the  great  religious  processions,  borne  on  men's 
shoulders,  their  whole  surface  plated  with  gold  and  silver, 
golden  crowns  on  their  heads,  and  gorgeous  robes  around 
them. 

"Yet,"  says  the  writer,  "they  cannot  save  themselves  from 
rust  and  moths,  though  clad  in  purple;  and  men  have  to  wipe  the 
dust  off  their  faces.  They  stand  in  their  temples  with  sword 
and  battle-axe  in  their  liands,  but  they  cannot  defend  themselves 
from  violence  or  thieves.  The  doors  need  locks  and  bars  to  keep 
such  gods  safe;  and  though  lamps  are  lit  for  them,  they  cannot 
see.  Their  faces  are  blackened  with  the  smoke  (of  incense  and 
lamps),  and  bats  and  swallows  (that  fly  through  the  open  temple), 
and  cats  (that  creep  through),  sit  on  their  bodies  and  heads." 

The  hideous  impurity  associated  with  the  worship; 
the  Levitical  uncleanness  of  the  worshippers  ;  the  unclean 
food  set  before  the  idols ;  the  "  roaring  and  shouting '' 
of  the  priests,  in  their  ministrations ;  their  rent  clothes 
and  shaven  heads  and  beards,  are  all  detailed  for  con- 
temptuous ridicule ;  even  the  dishonesty  of  the  priests  is 
noticed  .2 

Such  was  the  attitude  towards  idolatry  brought  about 
finally  and  for  ever  by  the  Exile.  But  it  had  also  the 
grand  result  of  leading  men  to  set  increasing  value 
on  the  spiritual  services  of  religion,  as  contrasted  with 
the  merely  ritual.    Without  prince,  prophet,  leader,  burnt 

*  Stanley,  vol.  iii.  p.  31. 

2  Baruch,  chap.  vi.  pass.  See  also  Bel  and  the  Dragon,  and  the 
Song  of  the  Three  Children. 


REDEMPTION   DEAWINQ   NIGH.  383 

offering,  sacrifice,  oblation,  incense,  or  place  of  sacrifice, 
men  now  hoped  to  be  accepted,  even  without  them,  when 
they  knelt  with  a  contrite  heart  and  a  humble  spirit 
before  the  Unseen  God.^ 

How  far  the  later  theology  and  morality  of  Judaism 
were  due  to  the  studies  and  influences  of  the  Exile  is 
not  easy  to  say,  since  the  schools  of  Alexandria,  after  a 
time,  largely  coloured  Hebrew  thought.  But  it  is  certain 
that  the  Jew  after  the  Captivity  was  a  different  man  from 
his  forefathers.  The  teaching  of  "Daniel^'  respecting 
angels,  is  an  advance  on  what  is  previously  revealed. 
We  read  for  the  first  time  of  ''  Michael,  the  Prince  of 
Israel,^'  of  "  the  Prince  of  Persia/^  and  of  the  "  Prince 
of  Greece.''  ^  The  earliest  distinct  announcement  of  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead  appears  also  in  that  book ;  ^  and 
in  the  mysterious  Son  of  Man,  who  came  to  the  Ancient 
of  Days,*  there  seems  to  be  a  disclosure  of  the  Divine 
personality  of  the  expected  Messiah — the  "Word  of 
God''  of  later  Judaism,  and  the  "  Word  made  flesh"  of 
St.  John.  The  stress  laid  on  the  burial  of  the  dead  and 
on  almsgiving  in  Tobit,^  and  in  the  Apocryphal  literature 
generally,  appears,  also,  to  be  a  gleam  of  light  from  the 
days,  when  heaven  brightened  as  the  earth  grew  dark 
round  the  exiles.  Nor  is  it  possible  to  overlook  the 
change  from  traditional  exclusiveness,  shown  by  the 
enthusiasm  to  bring  aliens,  by  proselytism,  into  the  com- 
munion of  Israel.  The  closing  chapters  of  Isaiah  em- 
body the  wider  sympathies  of  times  when  contact  with 
the  great  world  extended  the  views  and  enlarged  the 
sympathies  of  the  nation.  The  isles  of  the  west,  includ- 
ing the  Mediterranean  coasts,  as  far  as  Tarshish  on  the 

*  Song  of  the  Three  Children,  ver.  14,  15. 

2  Dan.  X.  13;  xx.  21 ;  xii.  1.  »  Dan.  xii.  2. 

*  Dan.  vii.  13.  ^  Tobit  iv.  3-20,  etc. 


384  REDEMPTION    DEAWING    NIGH. 

Atlantic  coast  of  Spain^  and  the  countless  races,  as  far 
east  as  China,  the  land  of  Sinim,  are  all  eagerly  expected 
to  join  with  the  Jew  in  a  common  worship  on  the  Temple 
mountain. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten,  moreover,  that  the  Exile 
was  the  period  in  which  the  guardianship,  transcrip- 
tion, and  study  of  the  written  Scriptures,  became  the 
special  care  of  a  distinct  class,  afterwards  famous  as  the 
great  order  of  the  Scribes.  Shut  out  from  former  privi- 
leges, and  forced  to  hope  in  the  future  rather  than  look 
to  the  present,  the  earnest  Jew  concentrated  on  his 
sacred  writings,  the  devotion  hitherto  felt  for  the  Temple 
and  its  services.  The  writings  of  the  prophets  were 
collected,  most  of  the  Canonical  Books  joined  with  them, 
and  the  story  of  the  past  completed  by  the  aid  of  ancient 
records.  The  Books  of  Kings,  by  the  internal  evidence 
of  their  last  statements,  date  from  this  age  of  national 
depression,  and  we  owe  to  it,  probably,  besides,  the  col- 
lection of  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  and 
the  recension  of  other  portions  of  the  Bible.  God,  in 
His  Providence,  had  withdrawn  His  people  for  a  time 
into  scenes  of  humiliation  and  trouble,  that,  being  thus 
purified,  they  might  be  brought  back  again  to  their  own 
land  zealous  for  His  glory,  bearing  with  them,  for  the 
benefit  of  all  future  ages,  the  rich  treasure  of  His  word, 
of  which  the  discipline  they  had  borne  qualified  them  to 
be  the  watchful  guardians. 

The  last  twenty  years  before  the  release  of  the  Hebrews 
from  Babylon  must  have  been  a  time  of  feverish  excite- 
ment through  all  Western  Asia,  and  especially  among  the 
Jewish  exiles.  When  the  mighty  Nebuchadnezzar  was 
just  closing  his  career,  a  movement,  destined  to  change 
the  history  of  the  world,  had  begun  in  the  mountains 
beyond  the  southern  Tigris.     The  leader   under   whom 


REDEMPTION    DRAWING    NIGH.  385 

this  great  political  revolution  was  accomplished,  was 
the  Cyrus  of  Isaiah,  originally  king  of  Elam,  but,  ulti- 
mately, after  he  conquered  Media,  king  of  Persia  also. 
He  could  trace  his  descent  back  to  a  member  of  the 
royal  Persian  clan,  ''  Teispes,''  who  seems  to  have 
ruled  over  Elam  after  the  fall  of  Assyria;^  his  Persian 
dominions  being  handed  over  to  his  son,  the  great  grand- 
father of  Darius  Hystaspes.  Cyrus  himself  gives  his 
titles,  even  in  his  later  years,  as  the  king  of  Babylon, 
Sumir,  or  Shinar,  Accad,  and  Elam,  only  once  mention- 
ing Persia.^  The  Persian  empire  was  founded  by  Darius 
Hystaspis,  though  the  title  of  king  of  Persia  is  used 
by  Ezra^  of  Cyrus,  as  that  which  he  himself  adopted 
in  his  later  years. 

Cyrus  was  the  son  of  Cambyses,  king  of  Elam,  and, 
as  is  said,  of  Mandane,  daughter  of  Astyages,  king  of 
the  Medes,  who  was  himself  the  son  of  King  Cyaxares, 
whose  daughter  Nebuchadnezzar  had  married  after  the 
fall  of  Assyria.*  Elam  was  at  this  time  apparently  a 
vassal  of  Media,  paying  it  tribute ;  but  Cyrus,  in  a 
war  lasting  from  about  B.C.  552  to  B.C.  549,  overthrew 
Astyages  and  made  himself  king  of  Media.  Fortunate 
in  securing  an  alliance  with  the  king  of  Armenia,  another 
vassal  of  Media,  he  was  still  more  so  in  gaining  over 
Harpagus,  the  general  of  the  Median  army  sent  against 
him.     Following   the   example   of  their  commander,  the 

*  This  appears  to  have  been  the  conquest  of  Elam  alluded  to 
in  Jerem.  xlix,  34-39. 

2  Cylinder  of  Cyrus.  Isaiuh  mentions  only  Elam  and  Media, 
not  Persia,  as  invading  Babylonia,  cLap.  xxi.  1-10. 

«  Ezra  i.  2. 

■*  See  vol.  V.  p.  271.  Prof.  Sayce  questions  the  relation  of 
Cyrus  to  Astyages,  Smith's  Bahylonia,  p.  172.  But  it  is  ac- 
cepted by  Dr.  F.  Justi,  Gesch.  des  alt.  Persiens.  Pinches  thinks 
the  war  against  Media  began  later,  about  B.C.  552. 

VOL.    VI.  C   C 


386  REDEMPTION   DRAWING  NIGH. 

bulk  of  fhe  troops  joined  the  Elamites,  who  soon  after 
defeated  Astyages  and  took  him  prisoner.^  The  humi- 
liated king  ere  long  died,  and  Cyrus,  having  put  the  heir 
of  Media  to  death,  took  Amytis,  daughter  of  Astyages, 
wife  of  the  murdered  man,^  into  his  harem,  thus,  virtually, 
assuming  the  crown. 

Having  entered  on  his  career  of  conquest,  the  great 
Elamite  carried  his  arms  triumphantly  from  land  to  land, 
till  the  whole  East,  as  far  as  the  Himalayah,  submitted 
to  his  rule.  Then,  having  no  more  worlds  to  conquer  in 
Further  Asia,  he  turned  his  face  towards  its  western  lands. 

The  age  in  which  he  appeared  was  a  memorable  one 
in  history.  Among  his  contemporaries  was  Amasis,  the 
successful  soldier,  who,  after  deposing  Pharaoh  Hophra,^ 
took  possession  of  his  throne,  and  cultivated  still  closer 
relations  with  Greek  mercenaries  than  had  cost  his  pre- 
decessor both  crown  and  life.  The  year  B.C.  560  was 
marked  by  the  accession  of  Cyrus  to  his  father's  throne, 
that  of  Pisistratus  to  supreme  power  in  Athens,  and  that 
of  Crcesus,  son  of  Gyges,  the  ally  of  Pharaoh  Hophra, 
to  the  throne  of  Lydia.  Twelve  years  before,  Tarquin 
the  Proud  had  begun  his  reign  at  Rome.  The  West 
was  entering  on  its  great  career  as  that  of  the  East  was 
closing.  Hitherto,  nations  of  Semitic  blood  had  been 
foremost ;  henceforward,  those  of  the  Aryan  stock  were 
to  take  their  place.  Nor  is  it  without  significance  that 
the  Persians,  who  were  hereafter  destined  to  close  the 
long  era  in  which  the  centre  of  political  power  had 
been  on  the  Euphrates,  were  themselves  Aryans,  and 
thus  kindred  in  race  with  the  Greek  and  the  Roman. 

*  Inscription  of  Nabonidus.  Trans.  Soc.  Bib.  Arch.,  vol.  vii. 
p.  141. 

2  Thus  brothers  and  sisters  married  in  Elam,  as  in  Persia  and 
Egypt.  *  See  p.  206. 


REDEMPTION   PEAWING   NIQH  387 

But  they  were  to  hold  the  sceptre  of  the  world  only 
for  a  few  years,  and  then  yield  it  for  ever  to  the  rising 
nations  of  Europe.  Ancient  history  was  closing  and 
modern  was  near  its  dawn. 

Croesus,  the  son  of  Gyges,  who  had  been  the  ally  of 
Egypt  against  Babylon,  continued  his  father's  war  on 
the  Greek  cities  of  Asia  Minor,  and  greatly  extended 
his  power.  But  the  fame  of  his  immense  wealth  was 
enough,  apart  from  his  relations  to  Egypt,  the  hereditary 
enemy  of  the  monarchs  of  Western  Asia,  to  draw  on 
him  the  attack  of  Cyrus,  the  new  conqueror.  Advancing 
from  Armenia,  the  Elamite  marched  through  subdued 
nations,  to  Asia  Minor,  and  there  Croesus  speedily  fell 
before  him.  The  standard  of  the  conqueror,  emblazoned 
with  the  figure  of  a  flying  eagle — the  ''raveniug  bird''  ^ 
of  the  prophet,  was  thus  supreme  from  the  farthest  East 
to  the  waters  of  the  Egean. 

Twenty  years^  passed  in  this  vast  succession  of  triumphs, 
but  Babylon  still  rose  above  the  wide  inundation  of 
victory.  That  it  should  do  was  intolerable  to  a  boundless 
ambition.  It,  and  not  Ecbatana,  the  chief  city  of  Media ; 
orSardis,  the  metropolis  of  Lydia;  or  Susa,  the  mountain 
stronghold  of  Susiana,  was  the  political  capital  of  Asia. 
That  vast  quadrangle  of  huge  walls,  with  broad  walks 
along  their  tops,  and  lofty  towers  rising  high  overhead, 
while  a  hundred  gates  of  bronze  pierced  their  circuit 
far  below,  was  a  province  rather  than  a  metropolis.  It 
enclosed  within  its  bulwarks  an  aggregate  of  great  cities 
and  far- stretching  suburbs,  of  wide  parks,  and  gardens, 

^  Isa,  xli.  2;  xlvi.  11.     Xen.,  Cyrop.,  vii.  1. 

2  If  Mr.  Pinches  be  correct,  the  time  spent  in  subduing  Media 
and  the  other  countries  was  only  about  twelve  years.  He  thinks 
the  final  subjugation  of  Media  was  in  B.C.  650.  Trans.  Soc.  Bib. 
Arch. ,Yo\.  vii.  p.  146. 


388 


REDEMPTION    DRAWING   NIGH. 
11 


and    waving 
fields.       The 
great  commer- 
cial  highways 
of    Asia     ran 
through      it, 
and      human 
industry     had 
turned  the  de- 
^   sert   round    it 
^   into    a    richly 
p   watered  Para- 
2   dise,  the  most 
B   fruitful     plain 
§   in   the  world. 
^   In  its  learned 
"   institutions 
"   was     to    be 
«   f o  und     the 
i   highest    cul- 
c5   tui-eof  theage; 
M   in  its  mansions 
^   and  palaces, 
^   the    accumu- 
^   lated  wealth  of 
plundered  na- 
tions, and  the 
refinements  of 
the  most  con- 
summate lux- 
ury.     It  was, 
moreover,  the 
religious   cen- 
tre of  Western 


EEDEMPTION    DRAWING   NIGH.  389 

Asia,  and  the  citadel  of  the  great  gods,  before  whom  all 
nations  had  trembled.  While  they  remained  uucon- 
quered,  they  seemed  invincible.  Subject  nations  might 
invoke  them  to  aid  revolt  from  the  new  Power. 

Ambition  and  interest  thus  combined  to  make  an 
assault  on  the  great  city  of  the  Euphrates  only  a 
question  of  time.  Within  twenty  years  after  the  death 
of  Nebuchadnezzar,  Babylon,  hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by 
the  conquests  of  Cyrus,  was  the  only  Power  that  still 
claimed  independence.  Its  king  Nabonidus,  the  third 
in  succession  from  the  conqueror  of  Jerusalem,  had  long 
foreseen  his  danger.  It  almost  seems,  indeed,  from  an 
inscription  of  the  period,  that  at  first  he  aided  Cyrus 
against  the  Medes,^  but  in  the  last  ten  years  of  his 
reign  he  appears  to  have  relapsed  into  careless  inactivity, 
living  ignobly  in  his  palace  in  Tenia,  not  far  from 
Babylon,^  while  his  army  under  Belshazzar,  his  eldest  son, 
was  finding  a  Capua  in  the  luxurious  idleness  of  Accad, 
or  Northern  Babylonia.  The  seclusion  of  the  king,  more- 
over, excited  the  discontent  of  the  priests  ;  for  the  images 
of  the  gods  Nebo  and  Bel  were  absent  with  him,  so 
that  they  could  not  be  paraded  in  religious  processions, 
to  receive  public  homage.  Neglecting  to  pay  them  this 
honour,  Nabonidus  contented  himself  with  holdinsr  festi- 
vals  and  offering  sacrifices  for  the  preservation  of  the 
capital. 

A  contemporary  inscription,  lately  discovered,  gives 
a  glimpse  of  Babylonian  history  in  these  years.  Haran, 
it  tells  us,  had  been  taken  and  destroyed  by  the  Manda, 
or  "barbarians,'^  of  Ecbatana,  that  is,  by  the  Medes, 
and  its  temple  of  the  "  Moon,'^  had  been  destroyed. 

*  Trans.  Soc.  Bib.  Arch.,  vol.  vii.  p.  145. 

-  Sajce  calls  it  a  suburb  of  Babylon.    Fresh  Light,  p.  168. 


390  EEDEMPTION   DRAWING   NIGH. 

"  At  the  beginning  of  my  long  reign."  *  says  Nabonidus,  "  Mero- 
dacb,  the  great  lord,  and  Sin,  the  moon-god,  the  illuminator  of 
heaven  and  earth,  the  strong  one  of  the  Universe,  revealed  to  me 
a  dream.  Merodach  spoke  to  me  thus,  '  O  Nabonidus,  king  of 
Babylon,  go  up  with  the  horse  of  thy  chariot ;  make  bricks  for  the 
Temple  of  Rejoicing,  and  let  the  seat  of  Sin,  the  great  lord,  enter 
within  it.'  Reverently  I  spoke  to  Merodach,  the  lord  of  the  gods ; 
'  I  will  build  this  house,  of  which  thou  hast  spoken.  The  bar- 
barians (the  Modes)  went  about  it,  and  their  forces  were  terrible.' 
Merodach  answered  me,  *  The  barbarians  of  whom  thou  hast 
spoken  shall  not  exist,  neither  they,  nor  their  lands,  nor  the  kings, 
their  allies.'  In  the  third  year  (b.c.  549),  when  they  (the  barbarian 
Modes),  caused  Cyrus,  the  king  of  Elam,  his  (Merodach's)  young 
servant,  to  march  amongst  his  army,  they  provoked  him  to 
battle ;  the  wide-spread  barbarians  he  overthrew  :  he  captured 
Astyages,  king  of  the  barbarians,  and  seized  his  treasures;  to 
his  own  land  he  took  them." 

After  this,  Nabonidus  was  able  to  fulfil  the  promise  he 
had  made.  Summoning  his  vast  army,  from  Gaza  on  the 
west,  and  from  the  Persian  Gulf  on  the  south,  he  began 
the  restoration  of  the  temple  at  Haran,  which  had  been 
built  three  hundred  years  before  by  Shalmaneser  XL,  and 
afterwards  repaired  by  Assur-banipal. 

But  the  storm  of  war,  which  had  desolated  so  many 
other  lands,  was  now  about  to  sweep  over  Babylon  itself. 
A  cylinder,  inscribed  by  order  of  Cyrus,  and  discovered 
by  Mr.  Rassam,  enables  us  to  trace  the  progress  of  the 
catastrophe. 

"  In  the  ninth  year  of  Nabonidus  (b.c.  546)/'  it  tells 
us,2  "Cyrus,  king  of  Persia,  in  the  month  Nisan  (April), 
collected  his  soldiers  and  crossed  the  Tigris  below  Arbela, 

»  B.C.  552. 

2  Here  Cyrus  calls  himself  king  of  Persia.  Professor  Sayce  is, 
therefore,  wrong  in  saying  that  he  is  called  so  in  Ezra  only, 
"because  the  Persian  empire  was  nob  founded  by  Darius  till  the 
time  of  the  compiler  of  that  book." 


REDEMPTION   DRAWING    NJGH.  391 

and  the  following  month  marched  against  the  land  of 
....  Its  king  took  his  silver  and  himself,  and  made 
his  own  children  mount  (the  funeral  pyre),  and  then  both 
king  and  children  were  burnt  in  the  midst  of  it.'' 

Nabonidus,  unmoved  by  the  fate  of  this  neighbouring 
land,  still  lived  as  secluded  and  inactive  as  ever.  The 
year  B.C.  545  was  spent,  like  others,  at  Tenia;  Bel- 
shazzar,  the  heir  apparent,  being  quartered  with  the  army 
in  Accad.  "  Until  Nisan  (our  April)  the  king  did  not 
go  to  Babylon,  neither  did  Nebo  nor  Bel.  But  they  kept 
the  festival  (of  these  gods),  and  presented  peace  ofFeriuo-s 
in  the  temples  of  Saggil  and  Zida,  for  the  preservation  of 
Babylon  and  Borsippa/'  Meanwhile  danger  was  closing 
round  the  empire,  for  ^^  on  the  21st  Si  van  (our  June)  the 
soldiers  (of  Elam)  invaded  Accad.'' 

But  six  years  were  to  pass  before  the  final  crisis. 
Cyrus  had  been  unable  to  defeat  the  Babylonian  army 
in  Accad,  and  it  barred  the  way  to  the  great  city.  He, 
therefore,  either  betook  himself  to  intrigue  with  the 
people  on  the  "  lower  sea,"  or  Persian  Gulf,  and  prob- 
ably with  the  Jews  in  Babylonia,  or  invaded  the  lower 
provinces  and  subdued  them.  At  last,  in  B.C.  539,  these 
districts  rose  against  Nabonidus,  who  now  trembled  for 
his  safety,  and  no  longer  absented  himself  from  Babylon. 
Bel  was  brought  out,  after  his  long  rest,  and  famous 
local  gods,  from  far  and  near,  were  conveyed  to  the 
capital,  that  all,  united,  might  be  induced,  by  special 
public  honours,  to  save  the  imperilled  State.  In  the 
words  of  the  inscription,  "  the  gods  of  Marad — Zamama 
and  the  gods  of  Kis — Beltis  and  the  gods  of  Kharsak- 
Kalama,  the  gods  of  Accad,  above  and  below  the  sky, 
were  brought  to  Babylon,  but  the  gods  of  Borsippa, 
Cullah  and  Sippara,  were  not  brought."  All,  however, 
was   useless,   and    Cyrus   marched   steadily  towards  the 


392  EEDEMPTION    DRAWING   NIGH. 

doomed  city.  His  troops  approaclied  at  the  same  time 
from  both  north  and  south,  but  as  they  advanced,  the 
cause  of  Nabonidus  was  lost  by  the  revolt  of  Accad. 
As  a  result  of  this,  the  city  of  Sippara  (Sepharvaim) 
was  taken  "  on  the  14th  of  Tammuz "  (July)  without 
fighting,  the  king,  who  had  been  in  it,  fleeing  to  Baby- 
lon. But  there  also,  the  cylinder  tells  us,  no  resistance 
worth  the  name  was  offered,  Gobryas,  governor  of 
Kurdistan  (Gutium),  the  general  of  Cyrus,  entering  the 
city  without  a  blow,  two  days  after  the  fall  of  Sippara. 
Nabonidus,  himself,  who  had  apparently  fled,  was  taken 
soon  after  and  put  into  fetters  at  Babylon.  A  few  bolder 
spirits  kept  the  gates  of  one  of  the  temples  closed  till 
the  end  of  the  month  ;  but  they  had  no  weapons,  and 
at  last  surrendered  without  fighting. 

The  public  entry  of  Cyrus  into  Babylon  took  place  on 
the  3rd  of  Marches  van  (October),  immense  crowds  filling 
the  roads  and  streets  as  he  advanced.  True  to  his 
policy  of  moderation,  he  forthwith  granted  an  amnesty, 
and  proclaimed  peace  to  both  the  city  and  province. 
Gobryas,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  army,  was 
rewarded  by  being  made  governor-in-chief  of  the  city, 
and  the  people  in  the  provinces  were  propitiated  by  the 
restoration  to  their  local  shrines  of  the  images  brought 
by  Nabonidus  to  the  capital — a  measure  which  was  not 
completed  till  the  month  of  Adar  (February) .  In  that 
month  Nabonidus  died,  and  a  public  mourning  for  him, 
till  the  third  of  Nisan,  was  ordered  throughout  Accad.  A 
grand  funeral,  arranged  by  Cambyses,  the  son  of  Cyrus, 
closed  the  story  of  the  unfortunate  monarch,  who  was 
buried  in  the  temple  of  the  Sceptre  of  the  World,  the 
priests  of  the  temple  performing  high  obsequies.  To 
this  point  the  inscription  recording  these  details  is 
legible,    but,  unfortunately,  the    remaining  text   is   im- 


REDEMPTION   DRAWING   NIGH.  393 

perfect,  tliongli  enough  remains  intelligible  to  show  that 
it  recounts  the  honours  paid  by  Cyrus  and  his  son  to 
the  gods  of  Babylonia,  their  offering  sacrifices  to  Bel, 
and  their  replacing  Nebo  in  his  former  shrine. 

Happily  a  third  inscription — that  on  the  "  cylinder  of 
Cyrus'' — supplements  the  narrative  thus  far  recovered. 
In  it  Cyrus  relates  that  the  gods  were  angry  with 
Nabonidus  for  his  neglect  of  their  worship. 

"The  gods  dwelling  within  their  shrines  left  them  in  anger 
when  Nabonidus  brought  tliem  to  Babylon.  Merodach  went  about 
to  all  men,  wherever  their  seats,  and  the  men  of  Sumir  and  Accad 
(Lower  and  Upper  Babylonia),  whom  he  had  sworn  should  attend 
him,  (besought  him  to  return).  This  favour  he  granted,  and  came 
back.  All  lands,  even  the  whole  of  them,  rejoiced  and  ate.  And 
he  appointed  a  king  to  guide  aright  in  the  heart  what  his  hand 
upholds  ^ ;  Cyrup,  king  of  Elam,  be  proclaimed  by  name  sovereign; 
all  men  everywhere  dwell  on  his  name.  The  men  of  Kurdistan 
and  all  the  barbaiians  (of  Ecbatana — the  Medes)  he  made  bow 
down  to  his  feet,  the  men  of  the  black-headed  race  (the  Accadians), 
•whom  he  had  conquered  with  his  hand,  he  governed  in  justice 
and  righteousness.  Merodach,  the  great  lord,  the  restorer  of 
his  people,  beheld  with  joy  the  deeds  of  liis  vicegerent,  who  was 
righteous  in  hand  and  heart.  To  his  city  of  Babylon  he  sum- 
moned his  march,  and  bade  him  take  the  road  to  Babylon,  going 
at  his  side  like  a  friend  and  comrade.  The  weapons  of  his  vast 
army,  whose  numbers,  like  the  waters  of  a  river,  could  not  be 
known,  he  marshalled  at  his  side.  Without  fighting  or  battle 
he  caused  him  to  enter  Babylon.  His  (Merodach's)  city  of 
Babylon  feared.  In  a  place  difficult  of  access  he  gave  into  his 
(Cyrus's)  hand,  Nabonidus,  the  king,  who  did  not  worship  him. 
The  men  of  Babylon,  all  of.  them,  and  the  whole  of  Sumir  and 
Accad,  the  nobles  and  priests  who  had  revolted,  kissed  his  feet 
(Cyrus's);  they  rejoiced  in  his  rule;  their  faces  shone.  The  god 
who  raises  the  dead  to  life,  who  helps  all  men  in  trouble  and 
pinyer,  has,  in  goodness,  drawn  nigh  to  him  (Cyrus),  and  has  made 

*  Comj  are  I>aiaii. 


394  REDEMPTION   DRAWING   NIGH. 

his  name  strong.  I  am  Cyrus,  the  king  of  legions,  the  great 
king,  the  powerful  king,  the  king  of  Babylon,  the  king  of  Sumir 
and  Accad,  the  king  of  the  four  zones,  the  son  of  Cambyses  the 
great  king,  the  king  of  Elam;  the  great  grandson  of  Teispes,  the 
great  king,  the  king  of  Elam;  of  the  ancient  seed-royal,  whose 
rule  has  been  beloved  by  Bel  and  Nebo,  whose  sovereignty  they 
cherished,  according  to  the  goodness  of  their  hearts.  At  that 
time  I  entered  Babylon  in  peace,  I  enlarged  the  seat  of  my 
dominion  with  joy  and  gladness  in  the  palace  of  the  kings. 
Merodach,  the  great  lord  (cheered)  the  heart  of  his  servant,  whom 
the  sons  of  Babylon  (obeyed,  each)  year  and  day.  .  .  .  My 
vast  armies  he  marshalled  peacefully  in  the  midst  of  Babylon ; 
throughout  Sumir  and  Accad  no  t)ne  reviled  me.  The  temples  of 
Babylon  and  all  its  fortresses  I  established  in  peace.  As  for  the 
sons  of  Babylon.  .  .  .  their  ruins  I  repaired,  and  I  delivered 
their  prisoners.  I  prepared  for  the  work  (of  restoring  the  shrine) 
of  Merodach,  the  great  lord,  and  he  graciously  drew  nigh  unto  me, 
Cyrus  the  king,  his  worshipper,  and  to  Cambyses  my  son,  the  off- 
spring of  my  heart,  and  to  all  my  army,  and  in  peace  we  duly 
restored  its  front  (that  of  the  shrine)  in  glory. 

"All  the  kings  who  dwell  in  the  high  places  of  all  regions,  from 
the  Upper  Sea  to  the  Lower  Sea,  who  dwell  in  (the  high  places)  of 
the  kings  of  Phenicia  and  Sufcar,  all  of  them  brought  their  rich 
tribute  and  kissed  my  feet  in  the  midst  of  Babylon.  From  (the 
city  of)  .  .  .  to  the  gates  of  Assur  atid  Istar.  .  .  .  Accad, 
Marad,  Zamban,  Me-Turnat,  and  Duran,  as  far  as  the  borders  of 
Kurdistan;  the  gods  whose  seats  were  in  the  fortresses  upon 
the  Tigris,  I  reistored  to  their  seats,  and  I  built  for  them 
shrines  that  would  last  long.  All  these  peoples  I  assembled  and  I 
restored  their  lands.  And  the  gods  of  Sumir  and  Accad,  whom 
Nabonidus,  to  the  anger  of  the  lord  of  gods  (Merodach)  had 
brought  to  Babylon,  I  settled  in  peace  in  their  sanctuaries,  by 
command  of  Merodach,  the  great  lord.  In  the  goodness  of  their 
hearts  may  all  the  gods  whom  I  have  brought  back  to  their  strong 
places  intercede  before  Bel  and  Nebo,  that  they  may  grant  me 
length  of  days;  may  they  bless  my  schemes  with  success,  and 
may  they  say  to  Merodach,  my  lord,  that  Cyrus  the  king,  thy 
worshipper,  and  Cambyses  his  son,  (deserve  his  favour)." 

Such  is  the  notice  of  the  fall  of  Babylon,  preserved  in 


REDEMPTION   DRAWING    NIGH.  395 

contemporaiy  inscriptions.^  The  narrative  of  Herodotus, 
which,  if  it  be  actually  historical,  is  thus  proved  ^  to 
refer  to  the  capture  of  the  city  in  B.C.  518,  by  Darius 
Hystaspis,  informs  us  that  Cyrus,  hopeless  of  taking 
the  city  by  a  regular  siege,  lowered  the  waters  of  the 
Euphrates  which  flowed  through  Babylon,  by  digging 
canals,  and  thus  diverting  them  from  their  ordinary  bed, 
so  that  his  forces  were  able  to  enter  freely ;  the  Baby- 
lonians, in  their  panic,  having  forgotten  to  close  the  inner 
gates  which  might  have  saved  them. 

The  brief  statement  of  the  Book  of  Daniel^  helps  ns 
to  fill  up  the  picture  of  the  eventful  night  in  which 
the  mistress  of  the  world  was  thus  surprised  and  taken. 
Belshazzar,  the  eldest  son  of  Nabonidus,  associated  with 
him  on  the  throne,  and  commander-in-chief  of  the  army, 
had  retreated  to  Babylon  after  his  defeat  in  Accad,  and 
fancied  himself  safe  within  its  mighty  walls,  notwith- 
standing the  recent  disasters.  Any  lingering  fear  sought 
to  drown  itself  in  the  wild  revelry  of  a  sacrificial  feast  to 
the  gods.  A  thousand  nobles  sat  down  to  the  banquet ; 
the  king  himself,  with  a  dazzling  array  of  princes  and 
princesses,  and  the  beauties  of  the  harem,  attending  in 
high  state.  High-born  ladies  were  wont  to  be  present  at 
such  orgies  in  Babylon,  and  rivalled  the  coarser  sex  in 
their  shamelessness  and  excess.*  The  feast,  as  described 
in  Daniel,  brings  before  us  a  scene  of  luxury  and  splen- 
dour only  to  be  found  in  the  greatest  of  Oriental  courts ; 
the  magnificent  hall,  with  its  sculptured  and  painted  walls 
and  its  costly  ceiling,  the  strains  of  sweet  music  from 

^  Journal  of  B.  Asiatic  Sac,  vol.  xii.  pp.  80  ff.  Trans.  Soc.  Bib, 
Arch.,  vol.  vii.  pp.  139-176.     Sayce,  Fresh  Light,  pp.  170-174. 

2  Herod.,  i.  191.  »  Dan.  v. 

•  *  Curtius,  V.  1,  says,  that  at  feasts,  the  ladies — "matrons  and 
virgins" — became  dead  to  shame  as  the  revelry  advanced. 


396  EEDEMPTION    DRAWING   NIGH. 

antechambers,  the  air  rich  with  costly  perfumes,  the 
tables  laden  with  gold  and  silver  vessels  of  every  size 
and  shape,  plundered  from  half  a  world ;  the  gorgeous 
uniforms  and  robes  of  the  guests,  and  the  blaze  of  jewels, 
made  up  a  display  such  as  could  only  be  witnessed  in  the 
foremost  city  of  the  earth.  As  if  to  deride  the  hopes 
of  the  Jews  in  their  approaching  deliverance,  the  rich 
vessels  of  gold  and  silver  carried  off  by  Nebuchadnezzar, 
two  generations  before,  from  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem, 
and  since  then  stored  in  the  treasury  of  the  temple  of 
Bel,  were  set  forth,  as  part  of  the  boundless  wealth  of 
the  Great  King.  Amidst  this  wilderness  of  splendour 
stood  countless  golden  vases  filled  with  the  richest  wines 
of  Helbon  and  Lebanon,  and  from  these,  as  if  in  defiance 
of  Jehovah,  the  sacred  vessels  of  the  Temple  were  filled, 
that  the  guests  might  drink  to  the  health  of  the  gods 
which  Babylon  worshipped.^ 

But  the  Keeper  of  Israel,  who  neither  slumbers  nor 
sleeps,  was  at  hand  to  avenge  Himself  for  the  insult. 
In  the  same  hour  came  forth  fingers  of  a  man's  hand, 
over  against  one  of  the  many-branched  lamps  which 
filled  the  hall  with  light,  and  wrote  on  the  smooth  stucco 
of  the  wall.  The  revelry  was  hushed  at  once,  and  all 
faces  grew  pale.  The  enchanters,  magi,  and  astrologers, 
were  summoned  in  hot  haste.  A  purple  robe  of  honour 
and  the  golden  collar  of  "  third  ruler''  of  the  kingdom, 
next  to  Belshazzar  himself,  the  second,  were  promised  as 
his  reward  who  should  interpret  the  mysterious  symbols. 
But  no  one  could  read  them.  Then  the  queen  mother, 
perhaps  Nitocris,  the  daughter  of  Nebuchadnezzar,^  re- 
membering how  Daniel,  now  an  old  man,  had  solved  the 
dreams  of  her  father,  long  years  before,  hinted  that  he, 
perhaps,  could  read  the  awful  characters.  And  now,  the 
1  Dan.  v.  4.     Bar.  vi.  4.  »  Herod.,  i.  185. 


REDEMPTION    DRAWING    NIGH.  397 

hoary  prophet,  emerging  for  a  moment,  by  command,  from 
long  seclusion,  once  more  vindicates  the  Eternal,  in  whose 
name  he  speaks.  "The  words/'  which  were  Aramaic, 
"  mean,''  cries  the  seer,  '^ '  numbering,'  *  weighing,'  and 
'  breaking,'  and  tell,  from  above,  that  God  has  numbered 
thy  kingdom,  O  king,  and  finished  it;  that  thou  art 
weighed  in  the  balances,  and  found  wanting;  and  that 
thy  kingdom  is  divided  and  given  to  the  Modes  and 
Persians."  ^  True  to  history,  the  sacred  chronicle  men- 
tions the  Modes  first,  and  next  the  Persians,  not  the 
Elamites — Cyrus  himself,  as  we  have  seen  on  his  cylinder, 
having  latterly  assumed  this  style,  though  the  Modes,  as 
the  older  nation,  are  flattered  by  having  the  first  place 
assigned  them,  Persian  authority  not  being  as  yet  indis- 
putably supreme. 

"  In  that  night  was  Belshazzar,  the  king  of  the  Chal- 
deans, slain."  Chariot  and  horse  and  footman.-  had 
entered  the  city  by  the  help  of  traitors  within.  The 
hundred  two-leaved  gates  of  bronze,^  the  mighty  walls, 
and  the  glittering  legions,  on  which  the  Great  King 
so  proudly  relied,  had  been  useless  to  stay  the  invader. 
In  the  panic  of  sudden  and  awful  surprise,  the  guards 
fled  from  the  inner  gates,  leading  from  the  river  banks 
to  the  city,  leaving  them  open.  The  predictions 
of  the  prophets  were  literally  fulfilled.  Babylon  had 
"  suddenly  fallen."  Its  mighty  men,  palsied  with  fear, 
made  no  resistance  while  the  fierce  mountaineers  of 
Media  and  Elam  marched  through  the  silent  streets. 
In  so  vast  a  place,  the  conquerors  had  triumphed  at  one 
end  before  news  of  the  attack  reached  the  other ;  but 
running  footmen  speedily  carried  the  terrible  story  to 
the  king.  All  was  lost;  every  way  of  escape  stopped, 
the  great  public  buildings  in  flames,  and  the  soldiery  too 
»  DaD.  Y.  20-28.  «  Isa.  xlv.  1,  2.     Herod.,  i.  129. 


398  EEDEMPTION   DEAWING   NIGH. 

demoralized  to  fight.^  The  foe,  swarming  like  locusts, 
knew  no  pity,  but  slaughtered  the  unresisting  population 
like  sheep .^  Bel  bowed  down,  Nebo  stooped,  unable 
to  protect  their  votaries.^  Belshazzar  himself  perished 
amidst  the  flower  of  his  court,  perhaps  in  a  vain  attempt 
at  resistance.  Babylon,  the  terror  of  the  earth,  the  op- 
pressor of  nations,  was  humbled  at  last.  The  shock  of 
her  fall  was  felt  by  all  lands.  The  sacking  of  London 
by  a  sudden  surprise,  and  the  subversion  of  the  British 
empire,  would  be  the  only  parallel  event  in  our  own  day. 
The  transition  from  the  Chaldean  dynasty  to  the  rule 
of  the  conquerors  followed  at  once,  for  resistance  appears 
to  have  ceased  after  the  taking  of  Babylon.  Cyrus  was 
now  supreme  over  all  Asia,  from  India  to  the  Dar- 
danelles ;  but,  though  the  moving  spirit  of  this  vast 
revolution,  the  obscurity  of  his  original  position  as  king 
only  of  Elam,  and  his  relations  to  the  Modes,  and  perhaps 
the  Persians,  seem  to  have  led  him  for  the  time  to  deny 
himself  the  titular  sovereignty.  A  Median  prince  appears, 
therefore,  to  have  been  put  forward  by  him  as  the  no- 
minal king,  though  the  real  power  remained  in  his  own 
hands.  Elam  and  Persia  had  been  hitherto  very  inferior 
in  power  and  rank  to  Media,  the  haughty  clans  of  which 
followed  him  rather  as  their  adopted  chief  than  as  their 
conqueror ;  and  the  time  was  not  yet  ripe  for  affronting 
this  proud  assumption  of  independence.  Cyrus  had 
gained  the  leadership  by  affecting  to  liberate  Media  from 
a  tyrannical  despot,  and  the  support  of  the  aristocracy 
and  army  had  been  won  only  by  this  diplomacy.  A 
Median  prince  was  therefore  established  for  the  time 
as  king  in  Babylon — Darius,  the  son  of  Ahasuerus  or 
Cyaxares,  a  childless  and  easily-managed  man  of  sixty- 
two.  Two  years  later  this  phantom  king  died,  and  no 
»  Jer.  li.  8,  30,  31.  2  jer.  U.  40.  »  Isa.  xlvi.  1. 


BEDEMPTION   DRAWING   NIGH.  399 

further  opposition  to  tlie  accession  of  Cyras,  as  an  Elamite, 
being"  possible,  he  openly  assumed  the  empire.^ 

The  nominal  reign  of  Darius  extended  from  B.C.  538 
to  B.C.  536,  but  ha?  left  no  recorded  incident  except 
that  of  the  deliverance  of  the  prophet  Daniel  from  the 
den  of  lions.  The  new  empire  had  been  divided  into 
120  provinces,  each  under  its  own  governor,  with  three 
Sarekin,^  or  presidents,  at  their  head,  of  whom  Daniel 
was  one.^  That  he  should  have  been  thus  honoured  was 
natural,  from  his  services  to  the  great  Nebuchadnezzar, 
and  the  impressiveness  of  his  recent  appearance  at  the 
last  feast  of  Belshazzar.  But  the  elevation  of  a  Jew 
who  slighted  the  local  gods,  roused  the  jealousy  of  the 
native  aristocracy,  and  led  to  a  plot  for  the  destruction 
of  the  prophet,  who  was  now  at  least  eighty  years  old; 
having  been  carried  to  Babylon  as  a  youth  in  the  year 
B.C.  606. 

The  story  of  the  den  of  lions  is  strictly  in  keeping 
with  Babylonian  usages.  Assurbanipal  says  in  his 
annals,  ''  The  rest  of  the  people  I  threw  alive  into  the 

*  The  identification  of  Darius  mentioned  in  Dan.  v.  31,  etc.,  has 
given  rise  to  much  controversy.  That  there  should  be  difficulty 
about  a  merely  titular  king,  when  Cyrus  was  the  actual  ruler, 
is  natural.  Various  explanations  have  been  given,  but  the  one 
in  the  text  seems  the  most  satisfactory.  For  a  full  discussion  of 
the  subject,  see  Trans.  Soc.  Bib.  Arch.,  vol.  vi.  pp.  1-133.  Speaker^s 
Com.,  Daniel,  pp.  305-313.  Boscawen  thinks  Darius  is  only  a 
title  =  the  king.  So  does  Ernest  Bunsen.  Vigouroux  adds  the 
idea  that  "  Ugbaru,"  who  is  named  in  an  inscription  by  Cyrus, 
is  the  same  as  Darius  (vol.  iv.  p.  483).  Lenormant  advances,  in 
connection  with  the  appointment  of  this  personage,  a  proof  that 
Cyrus  had  not  royal  power  at  once,  in  the  fact  that  in  the  first 
and  second  years  he  is  only  called  '*  king  of  nations,"  and  not 
till  the  third  year  "  king  of  Babylon." — La  Divination,  pp.  181-2. 
Babylon,  in  Annates  de  Philos.  Chretienne,  1881,  p.  680. 

^  Apparently  an  Assyrian  word.  *  Not  "  first." 


400 


EEDEMPTION    DRAWING    NIGH. 


midst  of  tlie  bulls  and  lions,  as  Sennacherib  my  grand- 
father used  to  do/^  ^  Lions  abounded  round  the  great 
city,  and  the  Great  King  is  frequently  portrayed  in  the 
sculptures  as  engaged  in  their  pursuit.^  It  is  probable, 
moreover,  that  numbers  of  captive  lions  were  kept  in  the 
preserves  attached  to  the  palaces,  to  be  turned  out  for 
the  chase  when  the  king  wished.^ 

His  religious  fidelity  was  the  only  point  on  which 
Daniel  could  be  assailed.  From  the  earliest  ages  the 
kings  of  Babylon  had  claimed  to  be  Divine,*  and  it  was 


The  Great  Kino  Hunting  the  Lion. 

therefore  easy  to  procure  an  order  from  Darius  to  require 
all  "petitions''  to  be  made  for  thirty  days,  only  to  him- 
self. To  obey  such  a  decree  was  impossible  to  one  like 
the  prophet.  His  conduct  when  it  was  signed  and  thus 
irreversible,  was  in  keeping  with  his  past  character,  and 
has  ever  since  presented  an  ideal  of  duty,  when  a  choice 
is  demanded  between  obedience  to  God  or  to  man.  "  He 
went  into  his  house,  and  his  windows  in  his  chamber  (on 

*  Trans.  Soc.  Bih.  Arch.,  toI.  ii.  p.  362. 

2  See  Hommel's  Zwei  Jagdinscliriften  AssiirhanipaVs,  p.  2. 
^  Layard,  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  vol.  xxiv.  pp.  136,  271,  288. 

*  Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  i.  p.  8.     Oppert,  Inscriptions,  p.  16. 


REDEMPTION    DRAWING    NIGH.  401 

the  roof)  being  open  towards  Jerusalem  (for  prayer),  he 
kneeled  upon  his  knees  three  times  a  day,  and  prayed, 
and  gave  thanks  before  his  God,  as  he  did  afijretime/^ 
What  followed  is  known  to  us  all.  Delivered  from  the 
lions,  Daniel  "prospered  in  the  reign  of  Darius  and  in 
the  reign  of  Cyrus  the  Persian,"  whom  he  may  have 
been  largely  instrumental  in  moving  to  send  back  the 
Hebrews  to  Palestine. 

The  seventy  years  of  the  Captivity,  ^  dating  from 
B.C.  606 — the  fourth  year  of  Jehoiakim,  when  Daniel  and 
many  others  were  carried  off  to  Babylon — to  the  accession 
of  Cyrus  as  sole  king,  in  B.C.  b'36,  had  now  expired, 
and  the  sure  word  of  prophecy  could  not  fail.  Other  in- 
fluences, besides  that  of  Daniel,  tended  to  its  fulfilment. 
The  very  fact  that  the  king^s  name  stood  written  in 
Jewish  predictions  uttered  long  before,  -  as  that  of  the 
deliverer  of  the  nation,  could  hardly  have  failed  to  im- 
press him.  Josephus,  indeed,  expressly  ascribes  to  this 
the  favourable  action  taken. ^  But,  in  addition,  the  in- 
terests of  the  exiles  may  have  been  advanced  by  Jews 
in  the  court  service,*  and  by  Babylonian  proselytes  of 
high  standing.  Nor  were  motives  of  human  policy 
wanting.  It  would  necessarily  help  the  empire  if  a 
friendly  people  were  established,  under  its  protection, 
between  its  territories  and  Egypt,  the  hereditary  rival 
for  dominion  over  Western  Asia. 

The  decree  which  fulfilled  the  announcements  of  pro- 
phecy, is  reproduced  in  the  first  chapter  of  Ezra.^  It  not 
only  permits  the  Jews,  in  every  part  of  the  empire,  to  "go 
up  to  Jerusalem  "  to  rebuild  the  Temple  of  Jehovah,  but 
invites  help  for  them,  in  silver,  gold,  goods,  and  beasts. 

^  Jer.  XXV.  11 ;  xxix.  10.     2  Chron.  xxxvi.  21. 
2  Isa.  xli.  25  ff. ;  xliv.  28;  xlv.  1  ff. 

»  Jos.,  Ant.,  XI.  i.  1.  *  Dan.  i.  6.  ^  Ezra  i.  2-4 

VOL.   VI.  D   D 


402 


REDEMPTION    DRAWING   NIGH. 


The  similarity  of  its  style  and  language  to  those  of  other 
.Persian  proclamations  is  striking.  Thus,  for  example, 
that  of  Darius  Hystaspis,  in  the  inscription  at  Elvend, 
requires  only  the  substitution  of 
Jehovah  for  Ormuzd,  to  be  al- 
most identical  with  the  words  of 
Cyrus.  "  The  great  god  Or- 
1  muzd/'  says  he,  "the  greatest  of 
I  gods,  who  created  the  earth  and 
^  the  heavens  and  men,  and  gave 
I  power  to  men,  and  made  Darius 
I  kiog.''  ^  Nearly  the  same  lan- 
t^  guage  occurs  in  the  inscription 
■J  of  the  same  monarch  at  Perse- 
I  polis.^  It  was  natural,  therefore, 
»  for  C^'rus  to  introduce  the  name 
i»  of  a  god,  as  he  does  in  his  decree, 
I  though  his  mention  of  Jehovah, 
**^  as  shown  in  his  own  inscriptions 
g  already  given,  was  only  that  of 
S  a  polytheist,  willing  to  honour 
£  the  national  god  of  any  people, 
£  if  occasion  demanded.  Neither 
g  he  nor  Darius  Hystaspis,  indeed, 
^  was  ever  a  monotheist,  though 
£  both  have  always  been  thus  re- 
fi  garded.  Policy  dictated  the  ful- 
lest toleration  of  all  the  religions 
of  the  empire.  "  Ormuzd,  the  god 
of  the  Aryans,''  says  Darius,  at 
the   close  of  his  life,  "  was   my 

*  Menanfc,  Expose  des  Elements  de  la  gram.  Assyrienne.    Paris, 
p.  302.     Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  ix.  p.  78. 
^  Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  ix.  p.  74. 


REDEMPTION    DRAWING   NIGH.  403 

supporter,  and  the  other  gods,  because  I  have  not  been 
wicked.  I  have  not  been  a  liar  nor  a  criminal,  neither 
I  ftor  my  family.  I  have  committed  no  violence  to  the 
just  or  the  good.  The  man  who  was  loyal  to  my  house 
I  heartily  protected ;  him  who  sinned,  I  slew.  I  never 
did  violence  to  a  brave  warrior."^  In  the  same  spirit, 
we  have  seen  Cyrus  recording  that  he  repaired  the 
shrine  of  "  Merodacb,  his  lord,"  and  restored  to  their 
places  the  gods  who  dwelt  among  various  peoples 
enumerated,  and  that  he  prays  to  Merodach,  as  his 
worshipper,  for  himself  and  his  son.^ 

He  was  thus  precisely  the  man  to  show  favour  to 
the  servants  of  Jehovah,  the  Jewish  god,  since  he  made 
it  a  point  to  support  all  religions  in  turn,  that  he  might 
win  the  loyalty  of  their  respective  adherents.  While, 
therefore,  he  honoured  the  god  of  the  Hebrews  in  high 
sounding  phrases,  we  cannot  claim  him  as  more  than 
a  shrewd  politican,  using  language  which  served  a 
temporary  end  and  might  perhaps  gain  him  the  help  of 
one  god  the  more.  But  whatever  his  secret  thoughts, 
he  had  fulfilled  the  decree  of  Providence,  and  opened  the 
gates  of  Babylon  to  the  exiles,  that  they  might  return 
freely  to  their  own  land,  and  restore  the  long-fallen 
kingdom  of  God. 

^  Oppert,  Le  peuple  et  la  langue  des  Medes,  p.  151.  Tefc  Darius 
was  severe  enough  when  he  chose.  He  tells  us  that  he  cut  off 
the  uose  and  ears  of  a  pretender  to  the  crown,  and  dug  out  his 
eyes ;  after  which  he  kept  him  chained  in  public  for  all  the  people 
to  see,  and  finally  crucified  him.  Oppert,  p.  133.  Sayce  speaks 
of  Darius  being  a  Zoroastrian  monotheist  (Fresh  Light,  p.  176), 
but  the  inscription  quoted  above,  shows  this  to  be  an  error. 

3  P.  349. 


CHAPTER  XYIL 

THE    RETURN. 

THE  glowiDOf  words  of  the  prophets  respecting  Cyrus 
had  kindled  a  fervent  loyalty  to  him  in  the  breasts 
of  the  exiles.  He  had  been  proclaimed  the  "  Shepherd '' 
of  Jehovah,  His  "  anointed,  whom  Jehovah  had  called 
from  the  East"  to  free  His  chosen  people  and  rebuild 
His  temple.  Fortunately,  the  Phenicians  were  also  de- 
voted admirers  of  the  great  king.  They  stood  between 
him  and  Egypt  on  the  north  of  Palestine;  the  Jews 
would  do  a  similar  service  on  the  south.  Policy  dictated 
special  favour  under  such  circumstances.  Hence  they 
were  not  only  permitted  to  take  all  their  private  property 
with  them  ;  their  brethren  and  others  were  encouraged 
to  help  them  in  their  great  undertaking.  The  joy  at  the 
national  deliverance  was  unbounded.  Even  the  imagery 
of  the  prophets  seemed  inadequate  to  express  it.  Men 
could  now,  once  more,  say  among  the  heathen  that 
Jehovah  reigned.^ 

When  Jehovah  led  back  the  captives  of  Zion,  sang  one 
of  the  sacred  poets  of  the  day — 

We  were  like  them  that  dream ; 

Then  was  our  mouth  filled  with  laughter, 

*  Ps.  xcvi.  10.    See  also  Ps.  xcvii.  99. 

404 


THE    RETURN.  405 

And  our  tongue  with  singing. 

Then  was  it  said,  among  the  heathen : 

*•  Jehovah  has  done  great  things  for  them." 

Yes !  Jehovah  has  done  great  things  for  us, 

And  made  us  glad. 

O  Jehovah,  lead  back  our  captive  ones ! 

Let  them  roll  on  the  now  desolate  land 

With  a  flood  full  as  the  torrents  of  the  Negeb 

In  the  time  of  a  winter  storm.* 

The  prospect  before  those  who  returned  was  for  the 
time  sad;  for  Jerusalem  lay  in  heaps,  and  must  be  rebuilt 
amidst  many  diflBculties.     But 

They  that  sow  in  tears  will  reap  in  joy; 

He  that  goes  afield  weeping,  to  scatter  his  armful  of  seed, 

Will  (one  day)  come  from  it  again  bearing  His  sheaves. 

There  was  thus  both  joy  and  a  thoughtful  sadness 
among  the  exiles.  Far  and  near  throughout  the  empire, 
heralds  proclaimed  the  good  news  that  made  every  Jew 
a  free  man.  Multitudes  had  been  sold  as  slaves  when 
first  brought  from  Judah;  not  a  few  to  hard  masters. 
But  now  they  that  "  sat  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow 
of  death,  bound  in  affliction  and  iron,''  found  their  prison 
gates  thrown  open,  and  their  bands  broken  in  sunder.^ 
As  the  news  travelled  from  land  to  land,  the  best  of  the 
race  set  their  faces,  from  every  region,  towards  Jerusalem. 
Not  a  few,  we  may  believe,  found  their  way  to  the  loved 
spot,  from  the  West,  by  sea,^  making  light  of  any  suffer- 
ing it  brought,  if  only,  at  last,  they  stood  once  more  in 
Zion.  The  route  of  many,  from  the  distant  East,  did  not 
pass  near  Babylon,  and  they  could  only  reach  Palestine 
long  after  the  main  body  of  their  brethren.     A  kindlier 

1  Ps.  cxxvi.  This  seems  the  meaning  of  this  figure;  see 
vol.  v.  p.  386. 

2  Ps.  cvii.  10-14.  »  Ps.  cvii.  23-30. 


406  THE    EETUEN. 

feeling  had  latterly  been  cherished  by  some  of  the  native 
population  towards  the  exiles;  and  now  that  royalty  smiled 
on  them,  they  were  loaded  with  favour.  The  richer 
Jews,  contented  with  their  position,  preferred,  for  the 
most  part,  to  remain  in  Babylon.  But  while  themselves 
faint-hearted,  they  were  proud  of  the  braver  spirits, 
who,  having  little  to  lose,  more  readily  joined  the  great 
movement,  and  they  liberally  contributed  whatever  might 
be  useful  on  the  way  or  in  Palestine.  Cyrus,  himself, 
commanded  his  treasurer,  Mithridates,  to  hand  over,  from 
the  treasure  house  of  the  Temple  of  Bel,  to  those  about 
to  return,  all  the  sacred  vessels  of  gold  and  silver  carried 
off  by  Nebuchadnezzar  at  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem. 
No  fewer  than  5,400  salvers,  cups,  tankards,  spoons, 
basins,  etc.,  of  the  precious  metals,  were  thus  once  more 
delivered  to  the  priests.^  Beasts  of  burden,  supplies 
of  food,  and  all  the  requirements  of  the  journey  and  its 
subsequent  object,  seem  to  have  been  liberally  added, 
with  much  besides,  toward  the  great  object  of  restoring 
the  worship  of  the  Temple  on  Mount  Zion. 

The  body  of  pilgrims,  of  both  sexes,  found  at  last  willing 
to  face  the  perils  of  the  desert,  and  of  their  ruined  native 
land,  amounted  to  no  more  than  42,360,  including  children 
above  twelve  years  of  age.^  Besides  these,  there  were 
7,337  male  and  female  slaves,  200  of  them  trained  singers 
and  musicians.  Of  the  twenty-four  priestly  "  courses,'' 
only  four  had  representatives,  although  the  number  of 
these  was  over  4,000;^  nearly  a  tenth  of  the  whole 
caravan.  The  enterprise  was  especially  fitted  to  attract 
the  sacred  orders ;  but  the  indifference  of  twenty  of  the 
priestly  clans  out  of  twenty-four  shows  how  wide  must 

1  Ezra  i.  7 ;  vi.  14.  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  10-13.  Jer.  xxvii.  16-22 ; 
xxviii.  2,  3.     Dan.  v.  3. 

2  This  is  stated  in  1  Esdras  v.  41.  »  Ezra  ii.  36-39. 


THE    RETURN.  407 

have  been  the  defection  of  the  exiles  at  large,  from  the 
faith  of  their  fathers,  or,  at  least,  how  faint  was  their  en- 
thusiasm for  it.  Still,  the  presence  of  so  many  priests 
as  actually  set  out  from  Babylon,  lent  a  dignity  to  the 
whole  body  of  Pilgrim  Fathers  whom  they  accompanied. 
Honoured  for  their  high  descent  and  venerated  office, 
they  formed,  moreover,  a  nucleus  round  which  the  religious 
life  of  the  new  colony  might  gather.  But  the  general 
indifference  or  apostasy  of  their  order  was  insignificant 
compared  with  that  of  the  Levites.  Formerly  much  more 
numerous  than  the  priests,  only  seventy-four  cared  to 
leave  Babylon.  A  defection  so  striking  was  destined  to 
have  important  results.  Hitherto  humble  in  their  posi- 
tion, the  fewness  of  the  Levites  in  the  new  community 
henceforth  led  to  a  constant  struggle  for  equality  with 
their  more  favoured  brethren,  though  they  gained  it  only 
at  the  latest  period  of  the  nation.  Besides  the  Levites 
strictly  so  called,  there  were,  however,  some  of  the  two 
lower  grades  of  the  Levitical  order;  128  singers  of  the 
clan  of  Asaph,  and  139  of  the  order  of  Temple  police,  who 
guarded  the  gates  and  circuit  of  the  sacred  building; 
descendants  of  the  men  who,  under  Jehoiada,  had  de- 
stroyed the  heathen  tyranny  of  Athaliah.i 

Besides  these,  there  was  a  lowly  band  of  392  "  Nethi- 
nim,"  labourers  "  given  ^*  to  the  Temple  authorities  as 
slaves,  and  of  "the  descendants  of  Solomon's  slaves.'^ 
The  former  were  representatives  of  the  old  Canaanite 
thralls  of  the  days  of  Joshua,^  recruited  perhaps  by  prison- 
ers of  war,  taken  at  different  times,  from  Arab  tribes,^ — 

'  See  vol.  iv.  p.  148.  2  josh.  ix.  21-27. 

3  Some  of  the  Nethinim  are  called  Mehunim  (Ez.  ii.  50),  ap- 
parently an  Arab  tribe  from  Mount  Seir.  Others  are  called  Nephu- 
sim,  or  descendants  of  Naphosh,  an  Arab  tribe  on  the  east  of 
Palestine  (1  Chron.  v.  19). 


408  THE    EETUEN. 

the  latter,  descendants  of  the  Canaanites,  whom  Solomon 
had  enslaved  for  his  public  works.^ 

At  a  time  when  religious  enthusiasm  ran  so  high,  it 
was  natural  that  great  care  should  be  taken  in  registering 
the  free  citizens  and  priests  allowed  to  take  part  in  the 
great  migration,  since  the  inheritance  of  property  and 
the  legal  discharge  of  the  offices  of  religion  depended  on 
family  descent.  Failure  to  satisfy  the  registrars  did  not 
indeed  prevent  the  return  of  any  one  with  his  brethren  to 
Palestine,  but  it  withheld  some  privileges  from  laymen, 
and  excluded  priests  from  the  exercise  of  their  office. 
Nor  were  strict  precautions  uncalled  for.  At  least  one 
body  of  intending  emigrants  from  an  outlying  part  of 
Chaldea — perhaps  a  remnant  of  some  ancient  deportation 
from  Palestine, — were  not  able  to  "show  their  father's 
house,''  or  give  their  pedigree,^  while  another,  claiming 
priestly  rank,  on  the  ground  of  descent  from  Barzillai, 
the  friend  of  David,  failiug  to  prove  their  Aaronic  descent, 
were  pronounced  disqualified  for  sacred  duties,  till  their 
position  could  be  settled  by  the  high  priestly  Urim 
and  Thummim,^  which,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  disappeared 
with  the  Captivity.  This  mysterious  ornament  may  have 
been  overlooked  in  the  restoration  of  sacred  objects  by 
Cyrus,  but  more  probably  it  had  been  lost  at  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Temple.  Whatever  its  fate,  it  was  never  seen 
after  the  Return. 

At  the  head  of  the  great  body  of  the  migration  were 
two  men,  specially  fitted  for  their  position.  Foremost 
stood  Zerubbabel,  "the  Prince  of  Judah,"  a  grandson  of 
the  popular  king,  Jehoiachin,  and  thus  a  descendant  of 
the  great  national  hero,  David — the  only  person  of  royal 
blood  who  returned  at  this  time,  though  others  followed 

>  1  Kings  ix.  20.     2  Chron.  viii.  7.  ^  g^ra  ii.  59. 

3  Ezra  ii.  63.     1  Esdras  v.  36-40. 


THE    RETURN.  409 

at  a  later  period.^  His  Dame  seems  to  indicate  that  he 
was  born  in  Babylonia,^  presumably  in  the  earlier  years 
of  the  Captivity,  though,  like  Daniel,  he  had  also  a  Chal- 
dean name,  Sheshbazzar.^  Alive  twenty  years  later,  he 
could  not,  however,  at  this  time  have  been  very  old. 
Next  him  stood  Joshua,  the  high  priest,  grandson  of  the 
high  priest  Seraiah,  whom  Nebuchadnezzar  had  put  to 
deatb  at  Riblah,  after  the  fall  of  the  Holy  City.*  In  these 
two  the  multitude  had  worthy  leaders,  whose  personal 
claims  were  strengthened  by  hereditary  rank.  Nor  were 
those  who  followed  them  unworthy  of  such  chiefs;  for, 
apart  from  the  body  of  priests,  even  the  rank  and  file 
were  descended  from  the  flower  of  the  nation,  carried 
off  with  king  Jehoiachin,  from  Judah  and  Benjamin. 
Ten  leaders,  under  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua,  twelve  in 
all,  perhaps  in  touching  allusion  to  the  original  number 
of  the  Tribes,  marshalled  the  host  in  as  many  divisions. 

If  we  may  trust  later  traditions,  the  setting  out  of  the 
''  Captivity  '^  for  Palestine  was  joyous  in  the  extreme. 
An  escort  of  one  thousand  cavalry  accompanied  them, 
for  protection  against  the  desert  Arabs,  then,  as  now, 
given  to  plunder,  and  they  started  to  the  music  of  tab  rets 
and  flutes.^  The  few  rich  among  them  indulged  in  the 
luxury  of  horses,  of  which  there  were  736,  or  of  mules,  of 
which  there  were  245.  The  aged,  the  children,  and  the 
delicate  women  rode  on  camels,  which  stalked  along,  420 
in  number,  while  6,270  asses  were  partly  used  for  riding, 
but  mainly  carried  baggage.  But  that  there  should 
have  been  only  7,671  beasts  of  carriage  for  50,000 
people,  shows  that  all  but  a  few  marched  on  foot,  and 

^  Ezra  i.  8 ;  v.  14.     ^  "  Zerua  Babel  "  =  begotten  in  Babylon. 
3  Geseniiisand  Dietrich  think  this  name  Persian, meaniii<T  "Fire- 
worshipper."    Fiirst  suguests  the  Sanscrit  word  for  "illustrious." 
<  1  Chron.  v.  40.     2  Kint^s  xxv.  18.  *  1  Esdras  v.  2. 


410  THE    RETURN. 

that  therp  was  little  to  carry,  unless  some  details  have 
been  left  unrecorded. 

The  dreary  journey  across  the  desert  takes  over  four 
months,  at  the  rate  of  such  caravans.^  From  the  Eu- 
phrates to  the  north  of  Syria  the  route  lay  over  a  hard 
gravel  plain,  with  no  mountains,  or  clumps  of  palms, 
or  bubbling  springs,  to  break  the  wearying  monotony. 
It  ran  at  first  on  the  west  side  of  the  Eupbrates,  north- 
ward from  Babylon;  then  struck  across  the  desert  to- 
wards Lebanon,  which  may  have  been  skirted  on  the 
south-east,  if  they  made  for  Damascus,  or  approached 
from  the  north,  by  Hamath  and  Eiblah,  which  was  ap- 
parently the  usual  road  in  those  days.  By  a  singular 
coincidence,  the  new  Exodus  took  place  in  the  same 
month  as  that  in  which  Israel  had  fled  from  Egypt,  800 
or  900  years  before.^ 

The  state  of  Palestine  when  the  .exiles  at  last  reached 
it,  after  their  painful  journey,  was  far  from  inspiriting. 
On  the  south,  the  Edomites  had  seized  Hebron  and  all 
Judah,  down  to  the  Philistine  Plain,  while  on  the  north- 
east of  Jerusalem,  between  Jericho  and  the  shrunken 
territory  of  Samaria,  they  had  appropriated  a  large 
tract  and  built  a  town,  fitly  called  Akrabbim — "  the 
scorpions,"  or  "  scourges.^'  That  the  hereditary  enemy 
of  Jerusalem,  who  had  laughed  at  its  downfall,  and 
hounded  on  the  Chaldeans  against  its  population,  should 
hold  great  part  of  the  country,  was  almost  intolerable  to 
the  new  comers.^  A  long  and  embittered  strife  to  regain 
the  territory  thus  seized,  marked  the  next  four  hundred 
years.     The  Edomites,  driven  out  of  their  own  country 

1  That  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  took  five  months  to 
reach  Ezekiel,  shows  that  the  person  who  brought  it  had  stayed 
by  the  way,  at  some  point — perhaps  Damascus. 

2  1  Esdras  v.  6.     Exod.  xii.  18.  ^  i  Mace.  iv.  29  ;  v.  3. 


THE    RETURN.  411 

by  the  Nabatheans,  clung  eagerly  to  their  new  acquisitions 
in  Palestine,  which  may  have  been  given  them  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, in  return  for  their  services  against  the  Jews, 
that  they  might  keep  in  check  the  Hebrews  still  in  the 
land.  A  few  towns  and  a  small  territory  had  to  be  re- 
signed to  the  returned  exiles,  by  command  of  Cyrus  ;  but 
with  this  exception,  the  Edomites  held  their  ground, 
with  little  loss,  till  subdued  by  John  Hyrcanus  about 
130  years  before  Christ,  when  they  were  forced  to  sub- 
mit to  circumcision,  and  had  Jewish  prefects  set  over 
them. 

The  centre  of  the  land  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
descendants  of  the  mixed  races  settled  in  it  by  the 
Assyrian  kings,  after  the  destruction  of  Samaria.^  In 
spite  of  the  large  deportations  from  the  Northern  King- 
dom to  the  East,  great  numbers  of  Israelites  had  escaped 
aptivity,  and  having  intermarried  with  the  new  foreign 
ion,  infused  so  strong  a  Jewish  feeling  into  their 
,^  ^.ren,  as  to  lead  them  in  the  end  to  claim  that  they, 
<xS  well  as  the  people  of  Judah,  were  Hebrews.  The 
desire  to  unite  with  the  southern  Jews  was,  indeed,  of 
old  date;  for  the  later  kings  of  Judah  had  won  back 
many  of  the  survivors  of  the  Northern  Kingdom  to  loyalty 
to  Jerusalem.  The  bands  who  were  present  from  Asher, 
Manasseh,  and  Zebulun,  at  the  passover  of  Hezekiah,^ 
the  contributions  towards  the  repairs  of  the  Temple,  col- 
lected, under  Josiah,  from  *'  Manasseh  and  Ephraim,  and 
all  the  remnant  of  Israel/'  ^  and  the  company  of  pilgrims 
slain  by  Ishmael  on  their  way  from  Shechem,  Shiloh, 
and  Samaria,  to  the  ruins  of  the  Holy  City,*  had,  strikingly 
shown  the  depth  of  this  sentiment.  But  the  exclusive 
narrowness  of  the  new  founders  of  Jerusalem  was  destined 

»  See  vol.  iv.  p.  240.  ^  2  Chron.  xxx.  11. 

>  2  Chron.  xxxiv.  9.  ■•  Jer.  xU.  5-8. 


'aptivity 
ir//ij)pulati( 

//.  ■?  r  PTi 


412  THE    RETURN. 

soon  to  turn  a  feeling  thus  friendly  into  tlie  fiercest 
hatred. 

The  stronghold  of  Bethshean — afterwards  known  as 
Scythopolis — was  held  by  the  descendants  of  the 
Scythians,  who  had  remained  there  after  the  terrible  inva- 
sion in  the  reign  of  Josiah,  and  thus  formed,  as  it  were,  the 
outpost  of  the  heathen  races,  who,  in  the  main,  peopled 
Galilee — "  the  heathen-march."  ^ 

Galilee  itself,  we  all  know,  was  recognised  in  the 
days  of  Christ  as  largely  Jewish,  the  jealousy  of  the 
South  never  proposing  to  exclude  its  Hebrew  population 
from  national  privileges,  though  so  relentless  in  the 
case  of  the  Samaritans.  The  northern  region  had,  in 
fact,  been  largely  resettled  by  exiles  returned  from  the 
captivity  of  the  Ten  Tribes — a  "  remnant ''  still  faithful  to 
Jehovah,  though  the  mass  of  their  brethren  had  merged 
themselves  in  the  heathenism  of  the  East,  or  at  least 
preferred  to  remain  beyond  the  Euphrates.  When  the 
Second  Book  of  Esdras  was  written,  it  had  come  to  be 
believed  that  the  great  body  of  the  northern  Jews  had 
left  Assyria  long  before,  for  "  a  further  country  where 
never  mankind  dwelt,"  ^  but  would  be  brought  back 
in  the  days  of  the  Messiah.  Josephus  fancied  the  Ten 
Tribes  were  still  beyond  the  Euphrates,^  and  since  then, 
age  after  age  has  seen  fresh  speculations  respecting  them. 
Afghanistan,  China,  Nestoria,  the  wilds  of  Western 
America,  and  even  the  supposed   Polhynia  *  round   the 

^  Ewald,  vol.  V.  p.  98. 

2  2  Esdras  xiii.  41.  The  date  of  this  book  is  assigned  by 
Hilgenfeld  to  B.C.  28-25.  Gfroi-er  and  others,  however,  think  it 
belongs  tot  he  age  of  Domit-ian,  a.d.  81-96,  while  Liicke,  originally 
at  least,  fancied  it  written  under  Trajan,  a.d.  98-117. 

3  Jos.,  Ant,  XL  V.  2. 

^  A  gentleman  gravely  maintained  this  opinion  to  me  when 


THE    EETDRN.  413 

North  Pole,  have  been  regarded  as  the  place  of  their 
sojourn.  But  if  only  a  "remnant'"  of  Judah  could  be 
induced  to  return  after  a  comparatively  brief  exile,  how 
much  less  could  any  return  of  the  whole  Ten  Tribes  be 
expected,  after  a  residence  in  the  East  of  more  than  a 
century  longer  ? 

The  language  of  the  prophets  is  constantly  quoted  in 
support  of  the  fancy,  so  popular  in  our  day,  that  the  Ten 
Tribes  are  yet  to  return  from  some  unknown  land  and 
inhabit  Palestine.  When  it  is  remembered,  however, 
that  similar  language  employed  of  the  exiles  of  Judah  in 
Babylon  was  fulfilled  by  the  return  of  a  very  small  pro- 
portion of  their  whole  number,  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
return  of  the  Ten  Tribes  which  has  already  taken  place, 
is  a  corresponding  fulfilment  of  what  had  been  predicted 
respecting  the  sons  of  the  Northern  Kingdom.  But 
though  the  Jewish  population  of  Galilee  was  a  vindication 
of  prophecy,  the  relations  of  the  northern  tribes  to  the 
southern  was  henceforth  to  be  changed.  The  very  name 
of  Israel  was  to  be  relinquished.  That  of  Judah  was 
alone  to  remain.  In  earlier  days,  "  Israel  '^  had  super- 
seded the  national  name  of  Hebrew  ;  but  from  the  period 
of  the  return,  that  of  "  Jew  "  or  "  Judean  "  took  the  place 
of  both. 

The  new  colony  was  thus  hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by 
other  races.  It  held  only  a  small  district  round  Jeru- 
salem and  the  city  itself,  and  even  for  that  it  had  to 
thank  the  favour  of  Cyrus.  The  list  of  towns  named  by 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah  as  the  first  homes  of  their  brethren, 
includes  only  Bethlehem  on  the  south,  while  on  the 
north  their  territory  did  not  extend  beyond  the  narrow 


Captain  Nares'  expedition  to  the  North  was  being  sent  out,  and 
I  have  seen  it  advanced  in  print  since  then. 


414  TEE    RETURN. 

limits  of  Benjamin.^  Even  a  generation  afterwards. 
Southern  Judah  had  not  been  won  by  the  Hebrews.^  In 
the  time  of  Nehemiah,  however,  nearly  a  hundred  years 
later,  they  at  last  got  a  footing  in  Hebron,  to  which  its 
Canaanite  population  had  once  more  given  the  old  name 
of  Kirjath-Arba,^  and  they  had  pushed  their  boundaries 
some  distance  into  the  Negeb.*  Beersheba,  indeed,  on 
the  edge  of  the  southern  desert,  then  had  again  a  village 
round  its  wells,  and  the  clan  of  Temple-singers  ultimately 
established  themselves  in  the  Jordan  valley,  having 
forced  the  Edomites  to  give  them  lands  in  that  district.^ 
On  the  west,  however,  the  Philistines  eagerly  reasserted 
their  independence ;  speaking  their  own  language  and 
worshipping  Dagon,  as  of  old,  in  their  capital  Ashdod.^ 

The  Jewish  community,  under  Zerubbabel  and  the 
high  priest  Joshua,  its  civil  and  religious  heads,  with 
the  ten  inferior  leaders  appointed  in  Babylon,  was  or- 
ganized more  fully  very  soon  after  the  Return.  A  body 
of  superior  magistrates,  known  as  "  Sarim  ^'  or  '^  Horim,'^ 
was  appointed,  and  the  ancient  order  of  elders  once  more 
installed,  as  heads  of  limited  districts  and  of  the  smaller 
towns.''  Over  the  whole  stood  the  local  Persian  governor, 
whose  headquarters  were,  perhaps,  at  Samaria,  Zerubbabel 
being  responsible  to  him,  and  under  his  authority  in 
matters  of  importance.^  The  houses  of  the  foreign  popu- 
lation, removed  to  make  room  for  the  new  colony,  may 
have  sheltered  a  portion  of  the  emigrants,  but  Jerusalem 

1  Neh.  vii.  25-30.     Ezra  ii.  23,  28,  34.  2  Zech.  vii.  7. 

3  Art.  on  Kirjath-Arbah,  in  Diet,  of  Bible.  *  Neh.  xi.  25-35. 

5  See  Lists  in  Ezra  and  Neheraiah. 
^  Neh.  iv.  7 ;  xiii.  24.     1  Mace.  x.  84. 
'  Ezra  ix.  2,  10  ;  viii.  14.     Neh.  iii.  9,  12,  14,  15 ;  iv.  10. 
^  Neh.  ii.  7-9.     There  were  at  least  two  Persian  governors  of 
the  lands  west  of  the  Euphrates — Syria  in  the  widest  sense. 


THE    RETUEN  415 

itself  lay  in  ruins,  and  the  exiles  mnst  for  a  time  liave 
lived  mostly  in  tents.  How  many  Jews  were  already  in 
Judali  when  their  brethren  from  the  Euphrates  arrived, 
cannot  be  known;  but  they  were  probably  numerous, 
since  the  bulk  of  the  peasantry  seems  to  have  been  left 
in  the  country  by  Nebuchadnezzar.  Besides  these,  fresh 
bands  from  every  part  of  the  world  constantly  arrived 
and  strengthened  the  national  movement.  But,  hence- 
forth, Israel  was  to  be  only  a  vassal  of  the  heathen.  Its 
independence  was  gone  for  ever,  except  during  the  brief 
interval  of  the  Maccabean  revolt.  Persians,  Greeks, 
Syrians,  and  Romans,  were  to  rule,  the  Jewish  people 
preserving  an  existence  only  under  the  shadow  of  their 
power. 

The  Return  had  been  pre-eminently  a  religious  impulse. 
Weaned  for  ever  from  idolatry,  profoundly  penitent  for 
the  former  backslidings  of  their  nation,  and  kindled  into 
enthusiasm  for  Jehovah  by  the  glowing  words  of  the 
prophets,  the  colonists  indulged  in  dreams  of  a  splendid 
national  and  religious  future.  The  central  wonder  of  the 
State  was  to  be  the  new  Temple  on  Mount  Zion,  which, 
with  Jerusalem,  Ezekiel  had  painted  as  covering  a  great 
part  of  Palestine.  Its  material  magnificence,  moreover, 
and  that  of  the  capital,  were  to  be  in  keeping  with  this 
transcendent  ideal.  Hence,  the  first  thought  of  the  exiles 
on  reaching  their  fatherland,  was  to  restore  the  ancient 
faith.  As  a  step  towards  this,  contributions  were  invited 
to  begin  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple  on  its  former  site, 
and  the  response  was  munificent.  The  rich  heads  of 
clans,  or  "  fathers'  houses,''  gave  the  great  sum  of  20,000 
darics,  or  about  £12,000,  in  gold,  and  2,000  minae  of 
silver,  or  about  £22,000 ;  ^  while  the  common  people  gave 

*  Taking  tbe  mina  as  =  100  shekels.  Gesenlus.  The  word 
translated  "  pound  "  is  "  mina"  (Neh.  vii.  70-72).     The  amounts 


416  THE    EETURN. 

as  much  in  gold,  and  about  £20,000  in  silver,  besides 
sixty-seven  robes  for  priests.  In  addition  to  this, 
Zerubbabel,  apparently  the  richest  of  the  exiles,  added 
the  splendid  gilt  of  1,000  golden  darics,  about  £6,000, 
60  basons,  and  530  robes  for  the  priests,  most  of  whom 
appear  to  have  been  very  poor. 

Six  months  had  elapsed  between  the  setting  out  from 
Babylon  and  the  distribution  of  the  new  community  in 
their  future  localities  in  Judah.^  No  sooner  was  this 
effected,  however,  than  a  general  gathering  of  the  people 
was  called  at  Jerusalem,  to  raise  anew  the  long  destroyed 
altar  of  Jehovah  on  the  exact  spot  where  it  had  formerly 
stood.  The  first  wave  of  enthusiasm  was  still  at  its 
height,  and  could  not  content  itself  with  even  the  huge 
dimensions  of  the  altar  of  Solomon.  The  golden  future 
of  the  race,  and  the  world-wide  triumph  of  its  faith, 
demanded  an  altar  twice  the  size.^  This  built,  its 
inauguration  followed  on  the  first  day  of  the  seventh 
month,  with  the  utmost  splendour  possible  under  the 
circumstances.  Vast  numbers  from  the  various  races 
and  districts  of  the  whole  country  were  desirous  to 
make  Jerusalem  their  religious  centre,  and  for  the 
time  befriended  the  colony,^  perhaps  helping  it  by  con- 
tributions. Their  presence  added  to  the  glory  of  the 
day.  Once  more  the  smoke  of  the  morning  and  even- 
ing sacrifice  arose,  and  henceforth  each  week-day  and 
Sabbath,  with  the  new  moons  and  other  festivals,  saw 

in  Nehemiah  are  more  detailed  than  in  Ezra,  but  the  aggrep^ate 
is  smaller.  Ezra  makes  the  whole  contributions  61,000  golden 
darics  =  £36,600,  besides  6,000  min8e  =  £50,000.  The  priests' 
dresses,  however,  are  given  as  only  100.  Perhaps  the  two  state- 
ments refer  to  distinct  contributioas  at  different  times.  Ezra 
ii.  69.  1  Ezra  iii.  1.  ^  Qyaetz,  ii.  2,  83. 

^  1  Esdras  v.  50,  amended  by  Gesenius. 


THE    RETURN.  417 

their  appropriate  offerings  and  sacrifices  duly  presented 
or  consumed.  The  day  chosen  for  the  inaugural  ceremony 
was  also  that  of  the  great  autumnal  Feast  of  Tabernacles, 
the  harvest  home  of  the  land ;  a  day  famous  as  that  on 
which  Solomon  had  dedicated  his  Temple,  though  it  was 
marked,  also,  as  the  same  on  which  Jeroboam  conse- 
crated the  rival  sanctuary  of  Bethel.  The  joyous  feast 
was  now  kept  with  glad  hearts  and  high  hopes.  Loud 
"  Amens "  from  the  people  answered  the  chants  and 
jubilant  noise  of  the  Levites.  It  was  the  birthday  of 
the  restored  nation.  Then  first,  if  modern  criticism  be 
correct,  rose  the  strains  of  the  115th  Psalm, ^  with  its 
lofty  protest  against  idolatry,  and  its  proud  trust  in 
Jehovah  alone  as  the  God  of  Israel. 

But  the  foundation  of  the  Temple  was  not  yet  laid.^ 
Money,  however,  was  in  the  treasury,  and  the  rich  pro- 
duce of  the  land  furnished  materials  for  barter.^  Masons 
and  carpenters  were  hired  at  Jerusalem,  and  Phenician 
sailors  were  engaged  to  bring  down  in  rafts,  by  sea,  to 
Joppa,  the  cedars  granted  by  Cyrus  for  the  future 
sanctuary.  Great  efforts  were  also  made  by  Zerubbabel 
and  the  high  priests,  zealously  aided  by  priest,  Levite, 
and  citizen,  to  clear  the  site  of  the  old  Temple,  and  pre- 
pare for  laying  the  foundation  of  another.  Yet  it  was 
not  till  the  second  month  of  the  second  year,  B.C.  535, 
that  this  imposing  ceremony  could  take  place.  By  that 
time  the  new  stones  were  squared  and  ready  ;  the  ruins 
sufficiently  out  of  the  way.  On  the  appointed  day  the 
priests  stood  in  order,  in  their  new  vestments,  and 
the  first  stone  of  the  second  Temple  was  laid,  amidst  the 
blasts  of  silver  trumpets,  the  clash  of  cymbals,  the  music 
of  varied    instruments,  *    and   the    triumphant  notes  of 

1  Ewald.  2  Ezra  iii.  6. 

3  Ezra  iii.  7.  ■»  1  Esdras  v.  59. 

VOL.    VI.  E    E 


418 


THE    EETURN. 


psalms  specially  composed  for  tlie  occasion.^  Bat  sad- 
ness as  well  as  joy  marked  the  day.  There  were  aged 
men  in  the  crowd  who  could  compare  the  past  with  the 
present.  In  their  boyhood  they  had  seen  the  former 
Temple,  before  its  destruction,  and  the  recollection  over- 
came them.     Loud  weeping  and  sorrowful  cries  mingled 

with  the  sounds  of  re- 
joicing; but  the  bad  omen 
was  drowned  in  still  louder 
shouts  of  gladness  from 
the  multitude. 

Meanwhile,  a  wide  and 
sincere  interest  was  felt  in 
the  rise  of  Jerusalem  from 
its  ashes.  The  mingled 
race  of  the  Samaritan  ter- 
ritory, proud  of  its  partly 
Jewish  blood,  retained  the 
worship  of  Jehovah  as 
taught  by  the  priests  sent 
from  Assyria  to  its  fore- 
fathers, a  hundred  and 
fifty  years  before.  But 
many  heathen  customs 
tainted  their  practice,  and 
they  even  worshipped 
idols,  especially  household 
gods.^  The  more  thought- 
ful class  of  Samaritans,  however,  wearied  of  so  rude  and 
hybrid  a  creed,  longed  to  join  the  returned  exiles  and 
make  Jerusalem  their  religious  centre,  feeling  that  Judah 
alone  had  preserved  the  ancient  faith  in  its  purity. 

'  Ixxxvii.  cvi.  cvii.   cxviii.  cxxxvi.     The  Pilgrim   Psalms  cxx.- 
cxxxiv.  seem  also  to  date  from  this  time.  ^  Ezra  iv.  2. 


TiJBAPHiM,  OB  Household  Gods. 


THE    RETURN.  419 

A  mission  was  therefore  sent  from  the  North,  to 
Zerubbabel,  Joshua,  and  the  elders,  to  make  overtures 
for  co-operation  in  the  great  work  of  rebuilding  the 
Temple.  The  proposal  might  well  have  been  accepted 
under  judicious  conditions,  and  a  disastrous  quarrel 
averted;  but  hatred  of  idolatry  was  now  too  strong  in 
the  new  community,  to  tolerate  any  alliance  with  a 
people  defiled  by  heathenism.  Friendly  relations  would 
lead  to  intermarriage  and  familiarity  with  impure  worship, 
and  the  tendency  is  always  greater  to  sink  than  to  rise. 
The  Mosaic  law,  moreover,  was  held  with  a  superstitious 
veneration,  which  overlooked  the  spirit  in  homage  to  the 
letter.  The  proposal,  made  apparently  in  good  faith,  was 
therefore  declined.  Judah  would  itself  build  the  Temple, 
as  Cyrus  had  permitted,  without  help. 

The  results  of  this  exclusiveness  were  momentous.  Two 
parties  rose  among  the  Jews  themselves  :  Puritaus  and 
Broad  Churchmen.  Old  jealousies  and  hatreds  were 
rekindled.  Samaria  had  been  despised,  before  the  Exile, 
as  a  heathen  community ;  it  began  to  be  so  again.  But 
it  had  a  dangerous  weapon  of  attack  in  its  turn.  The 
presence  of  a  descendant  of  David  at  the  head  of  Judah, 
gave  a  specious  colour  to  pretexts  of  possible  political 
complications  in  the  future.  The  Persian  officials  in 
Samaria  lent  themselves  only  too  readily  to  these  sus- 
picions. Hired  counsellors  were  sent  to  Ecbatana  and 
Susa,  to  spread  them  at  court,  and  they  succeeded  in 
stopping  the  Temple  works  till  the  death  of  Cyrus,  in  a 
distant  war  in  Upper  Asia,  seven  years  later.-^  Nor  were 
they  even  then  allowed  to  recommence.  Cambyses,  the 
son  of  Cyrus,  was  too  much  engaged  in  his  campaigns  to 
trouble  himself  about  the  small  colony  at  Jerusalem,  and, 
thus,  through  his  reign  also,  no  progress  was  made.^ 
1  Ezra  iv.  24.  «  B.C.  629-522. 


420  THE    EETUEN. 

Then  followed  the  reign  of  an  impostor — the  false 
Smerdis  or  Bardes,  ^  who  claimed  to  be  the  murdered 
brother  of  Cambyses,  but  was  detected  and  put  to  death 
after  a  reign  of  between  seven  and  eight  months.  It 
was  only  in  the  second  year  of  the  next  king,  Darius 
Hystaspis,  that  the  sound  of  the  workmen  was  again 
heard  on  Mount  Moriah. 

In  these  weary  years,  criminations  and  recriminations 
at  Jerusalem  lowered  the  moral  tone  and  cooled  the  zeal 
of  the  Jewish  colony.^  But  better  days  returned  with  the 
accession  of  Darius  in  the  year  B.C.  522,  fourteen  years 
after  the  Return.  Just  and  honourable,  he  became  another 
Cyrus  to  them,  and  the  second  founder  of  the  new  State. 

*  Cambyses  had  secretly  murdered  his  brother  Bardes,  and  an 
impostor,  Gaumata  the  Magian,  had  seized  the  throne  in  the  name 
of  the  dead  prince.  See  Eber's  Egyptian  Princess,  where  the 
story  of  Bardes  is  charmingly  told,  from  Herodotus. 

2  Ewald  thinks  the  Ahasuerus  and  Artaxerxes  in  Ezra  iv.  6,  7, 
are  Cambyses  and  the  false  Smerdis  respectively.  But  Schrader 
and  Keil  suppose  that  verses  6  to  24  are  in  their  wrong  place, 
by  the  error  of  some  scribe,  and  refer  them  to  the  reign  of  Xerxes 
B.C.  486-465,  and  Artaxerxes  of  the  Long  Hand,  B.C.  465-425.  The 
names  as  given  in  Ezra  seem  to  support  this.  It  is  now  the 
generally  accepted  opinion.  See  Biehm  and  the  Calwer  Hand- 
worterbuch 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


HAGGAI     AND     ZECHARIAH. 


THE  reign  of  Darius  was  marked  by  the  appearance 
of  two  prophets — Haggai  and  Zechariah — who, 
wearied  by  the  apathy  of  their  countrymen,  took  advan- 
tage of  the  accession  of  a  prince  so  friendly  to  the  nation, 
to  stimulate  their  countrymen  to  a  resumption  of  the 
long  delayed  work  of  rebuilding  the  Temple.  Of  these 
two,  Haggai  was  much  the  older  ;  for  he  was  either  one  of 
the  captives  led  from  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  and 
thus  had  seen  the  old  Temple  in  its  glory,  or,  at  latest, 
had  been  born  in  Babylon  at  the  beginning  of  the  Exile.^ 
During  the  Captivity  he  had,  no  doubt,  helped  forward 
the  great  religious  revival  to  which  the  Eeturn  was  due, 
though  no  record  of  his  preaching  in  those  dark  years 
remains.  The  second,  Zechariah,  a  much  younger  man,^ 
was  the  son  or  grandson  of  Iddo,^  the  head  of  one  of 
the  priestly  houses  represented  in  the  Jerusalem  colony. 
Like  Ezekiel,  he  was  of  priestly  extraction ;  but  he  be- 
longed, besides,  to  a  family  of  prophets,  for  he  inherited 


Ewald  thinks  he  had  seen  the  first  Temple. 
2  Zech.  ii.  4. 

^  In  Ezra  v.  1 ;  vi.  14,  he  is  called  the  son  of  Iddo ;  in  Zech. 
i.  1-7,  the  grandson. 

421 


422  HAGGAI    AND    ZECHA.EIAH. 

his  dignity,  as  one  of  the  order,  from  his  father  or  grand- 
father. Born  in  a  generation  in  which  the  Apocalyptic 
visions  of  Daniel  and  Ezekiel  had  introduced  a  new  form 
of  prophetic  utterance,  his  prophecies  are  marked  by  a 
similar  characteristic.  The  influence  of  his  Babylonian 
life  moreover  is  seen  in  his  imagery  and  allusions.  Thus 
he  uses  the  regnal  years  of  the  Great  King  for  his  dates,^ 
and,  among  other  Eastern  colourings,  introduces  in  his 
third  vision  the  Persian  custom  of  clothing  a  person 
accused,  in  soiled  garments,  to  be  exchanged  for  white 
when  he  is  acquitted. 

It  was  in  the  second  year  of  Darius  Hystaspis,  on  the 
first  day  of  the  sixth  month,  September  or  October,  B.C. 
521  that  Haggai  first  presented  himself  before  Zerubbabel 
and  Joshua,  to  stir  both  them  and  the  people  to  renewed 
efi*orts  towards  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple.  The  ex- 
aggerated hopes  of  the  first  period  of  the  Return  had 
died  away.  Instead  of  the  glorious  Messianic  times  they 
had  expected,  only  trouble  and  disappointment  had 
befallen  them.  It  seemed  as  if  they  had  been  deceived 
by  the  prophets.  Their  zeal  died  away  under  such  dis- 
couragement. After  fifteen  years,  the  altar  on  Mount 
Moriah,  and  the  laying  of  the  foundation  stone,  were 
the  only  results  of  their  lofty  anticipations  that  a  Temple 
grander  than  that  of  Solomon  would  speedily  rise  be- 
fore them.  But  if  they  had  been  disappointed  in  this 
direction,  their  material  circumstances  had  improved. 
Debarred  from  restoring  the  national  sanctuary,  but  free 
in  other  respects,  they  had  devoted  themselves  to  worldly 
aff*airs.  Fine  houses,  owned  by  the  richer  colonists,  had 
risen  among  the  ruins  of  Jerusalem,  and  this  prosperity 
had  still  further  lowered  their  religious  tone.  Warnings 
of  the  displeasure  of  God  at  their  apathy  and  spiritual 
»  Zech.  i.  1-7. 


HAGGAI    AND    ZECHARIAH.  423 

decline  were  not,  however,  wanting;  for  droughts  had 
visited  the  Lmd,  the  heavens  had  been  "  staved  from 
dew,"  and  the  earth  ^'from  her  fruit."  But  they  still 
urged  that  the  time  for  rebuilding  the  House  of  God 
had  not  yet  come;^  fresh  permission,  they  maintained, 
being  required  from  the  Great  King.  This  hypocritical 
plea  Haggai  boldly  met  by  a  stern  attack  on  their  in- 
sincerity. 

4  Is  it  time  for  you  yoiirselres,— cried  he,^ — to  live  in  your 
houses,  panelled  (with  costly  woods),  while  this  house — the  House 
of  God — lies  waste  ?  5  Now,  therefore,  thus  says  Jehovah  of 
Hosts:  Consider  yoqb  ways,  and  their  results  !  6  Ye  have  sown 
much,  and  brought  in  little.  Ye  eat,  bub  it  does  not  satisfy 
you;  ye  drink,  but  it  does  not  quench  your  thirst ;  ye  clothe  your- 
selves, but  it  does  not  serve  to  warm  you  ;  and  he  that  earns,  finds 
his  gain  vanish  as  if  put  into  a  bag  with  holes.  7  Thus  says 
Jehovah  of  Hosts,  Consider  your  ways,  and  their  results  !  8  Go 
up  to  the  hill-country,  and  bring  timber  and  build  My  house, 
and  I  will  have  pleasure  in  it,  and  teel  Myself  honoured,  says 
Jehovah.  9  Ye  looked  for  much  from  your  fields,  and  it  came 
to  little,  and  when  ye  brought  it  home  I  blew  on  it.  Why  ?  says 
Jehovah  of  Hosts.  "  Because  of  My  House  which  lies  waste, 
while  ye,  every  one,  run  to  build  his  own  house.  10  For  this, 
the  heaven  has  kept  back  from  yielding  dew,  and  the  earth  from 
yielding  fruit,  11  and  I  have  called  up  a  drought  on  land  and  hill, 
and  on  the  corn,  and  wine,  and  oil,  and  on  all  that  the  ground 
yields,  and  on  men  and  cattle,  and  all  the  labour  of  your  hands." 

Haggai  took  it  for  granted  that  no  new  permission  to 
build  the  Temple  was  needed,  since  the  one  given  by  Cyrus 
had  never  been  withdrawn,  though  the  work  had  been 
forbidden.  Fortunately,  the  people  and  their  leading 
men  accepted  this  view,  and  resolved  to  act  on  the  counsel 
of  Haggai,  to  which  they  listened  with  reverent  awe.  In 
about  tliree  weeks  the  sound  of  labour  once  more  rose 
from  the  top  of  Moriah.^ 

1  Hagg.  i.  2.  2  Hagg.  i.  4-11.  »  Hagg.  i.  15. 


424  HAGGAl   AND    ZECHARIAH. 

Four  weeks  later,  the  venerable  prophet  again  pre- 
sented himself  before  the  people  and  their  leaders.  The 
walls  of  the  Temple  were  now  being  rapidly  built ;  but  as 
they  rose,  it  was  evident  that  the  new  building  would  be 
far  less  magnificent  than  the  old.  Most  of  the  citizens 
were  poor,  and  the  few  rich  were,  in  too  many  cases, 
indifferent.  But  if  the  gloom  of  some,  and  the  coldness 
of  others,  were  calculated  to  dispirit  the  workers,  Haggai, 
cheerful  and  confident,  was  ready  to  encourage  them 
by  the  promise  of  a  better  time,  when  their  brethren  in 
other  lands,  and  even  the  heathen,  would  interest  them- 
selves in  the  great  undertaking,  and  cause  the  glory  of 
this  second  Temple  to  be  greater  than  that  of  the  first. 

3  Who  is  left  among  you  ^  who  has  seen  this  House  in  its 
former  glory  ?  And  how  see  ye  it  now  ?  does  it  not  appear  as 
nothing  in  your  eyes  in  comparison  ? 

4  Yet,  be  of  good  heart,  O  Zerubbabel,  says  Jehovah ;  be  of 
good  heart,  0  Joshua,  the  high  priest,  son  of  Josedech,  and  be 
of  good  heart  all  ye  people  of  the  land,  says  Jehovah,  and  work  I 
For  I  am  with  you,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  5  The  covenant  that 
I  made  with  you  when  ye  came  out  of  Egypt,  stands  firm,  and  My 
Spirit  remains  in  your  midst ;  fear  ye  not !  6  For  thus  says 
Jehovah  of  Hosts  :  it  will  be  only  a  little  while  till  I  shake  the 
heavens  and  the  earth,  and  the  sea  and  the  dry  land,  7  and  till  I 
shake  all  nations,  and  the  wealth  of  all  will  come  hither,  and 
I  will  fill  this    House  with  splendour,   says   Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

8  The  silver  is  mine,  and  the  gold  is  mine,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

9  The  glory  of  this  house  will  be  greater  than  that  of  the  former, 
says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  in  this  place  will  I  give  peace,  says 
Jehovah  of  Hosts.' 

Three  months  after  the  community  had  recommenced 
work  on  the  Temple,  another  prophetic  message  came, 

1  Hagg.  ii.  1.  2  Hagg.  ii.  3-9. 

^  This  passage  is  shown  in  Heb.  xii.  12-26  to  have  a  higher 
reference  to  the  triumphs  of  Messianic  times,  in  the  fall  of 
heathenism,  and  the  glory  of  Christ. 


HAGGAI   AND    ZECHARIAH.  425 

througli  Haggai,  to  the  people.  Their  faintheartedness 
was  gone,  and  they  toiled  with  zeal  and  energy.  It 
was  now  desirable  to  confirm  their  fidelity  by  an  assur- 
ance that,  if  it  continued,  the  blessings  of  the  fields, 
which  had  been  withheld  from  them,  would  be  restored. 
The  drought  and  trials  of  the  past  had  been  a  punish- 
ment for  their  neglect  of  the  House  of  God,  and  would 
now  be  removed.  It  was  about  the  end  of  November, 
when  the  sowing  of  winter  grain  was  over,  and  the  early 
rains  had  begun;  in  themselves  an  earnest  of  the  Divine 
blessing. 

II  Thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts — said  Haggai  ^ — Ask  now  the 
priests  for  instruction  in  the  Law,  saying:  12  If  a  man  carry 
holy  flesh  of  offerings  ^  in  the  skirt  of  his  garment,  and  touch 
bread  or  cooked  food^  or  wine  or  oil,  or  any  kind  of  food,  will 
what  it  touches  become  holy  ?     And  the  priests  answered,  "  No."'* 

13  And  Haggai  said.  If  a  person  made  unclean  by  touching  a 
dead  body  touch  any  of  these  things  just  named,  shall  what  he 
touches  become  unclean  ?  And  the  priests  said  :  "  It  does  be- 
come unclean."*  14  Then  answered  Haggai,  Thus  is  this  people 
and  this  nation  before  Me,  says  Jehovah,  and  thus  is  all  the  work 
of  their  hands.^    15  And,  now,  turn  your  thoughts  from  this  day 

1  Hagg  ii.  11-19.  2  jer.  xi.  15. 

3  Gen.  XXV.  29,  or  2  Kings  iv.  38. 

*  Lev.  vi.  20  says  that  the  skirt  in  which  consecrated  flesh  was 
carried  was  thereby,  itself,  ''  holy,"  but  it  could  not  impart  holi- 
ness by  what  was  touched  by  it.  The  priests,  therefore,  were 
right  in  their  answer.  *  Num.  xix.  22. 

^  The  raising  an  altar  on  their  return  was  a  "  holy  "  act,  but 
their  delay  in  building  the  Temple  was  wrong,  and  the  good  could 
not  make  the  wrong  change  its  character  any  more  than  the 
"  holy  flesh  "  could  communicate  its  goodness  to  the  "  common  " 
or  unconsecrated  food.  Moreover,  this  sin  took  away  the  good  of 
their  former  act — tlie  raising  the  altar — as  the  touch  of  a  person 
defiled  by  a  dead  body  polluted  that  with  which  it  came  into  con- 
tact. They  had  lost  their  "cleanness"  before  God,  and  might 
justly  be  punished  by  the  drought,  etc.     But  now  that  they  had 


426  HAGGAI    AND    ZECHARIAH. 

backward,  to  the  time  before  stone  was  laid  on  stone  in  the 
Temple  of  Jehovah.  i6  Before  this,  when  a  man  came  to  a  heap  of 
corn  which  he  expected  to  be  twenty  measuies,  there  were  only- 
ten  ;  and  when  he  came  to  the  vat  of  the  wine-press,  expecting  to 
draw  off  fifty  measures  of  wine,  there  were  only  twenty.  1 7  I  smote 
you  with  blight,  mildew,  and  hail,  in  all  the  work  of  your  hands, 
yet  none  of  you  turned  to  Me,  says  Jehovah  !  18  But,  now,  turn 
back  your  thoughts  from  this  day  to  the  twenty-fourth  of  the 
ninth  month,  the  day  on  which  the  foundation  of  the  Temple  of 
Jehovah  was  laid— think  on  the  matter.  19  Was  there  seed  in 
the  barn  before  that  day  ?  Were  not  vine  and  fig-tree  and  pome- 
granate and  olive  alike  unfruitful  ?  But  from  that  day,  when  the 
building  was  recommenced,  I  will  bless  joul 

On  the  same  day  Haggai  received  another  message  to 
deliver  to  Zerubbabel.     It  ran  thus — 

21  I,  Jehovah,^  will  shake  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  22  and  I 
will  overturn  the  throne  of  the  kingdoms,  and  destroy  the  strength 
of  the  kingdoms  of  the  heathen,  and  destroy  the  chariots  and  those 
who  ride  in  them,  and  overwhelm  the  horses  and  their  riders, 
every  one  by  the  sword  of  the  other.  23  In  that  day,  says 
Jehovah  of  Hosts,  I  will  take  thee,  O  Zerubbabel,  my  servant,  the 
son  of  Shealtiel,  says  Jehovah,  and  make  thee  like  a  signet  ring 
on  My  hand;  ^  for  I  have  chosen  thee,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.* 

The  discourses  of  Haggai  had  been  delivered  between 
the  sixth  and  ninth  months  of  the  second  year  of 
Darius — September  to  November,  B.C.  521 — and,  as  we 
have  seen,  had  made  a  profound  impression.     This  was 

recommenced  the  Temple,  this  state  of  things  no  longer  existed, 
and  God  was  free  once  more  to  bless  the  laud,  which  had  suffered 
for  their  sake. 

^  Hagg.  ii.  21-23. 

*  The  signet  ring  is  never  laid  aside  by  its  wearer,  but  is 
especially  valued  by  the  owner.     Gen.  xxxviii.  18. 

^  It  is  possible  that  the  Hebrew  prince  may  have  asked  Haggai 
as  to  his  safety  in  the  midst  of  the  political  troubles  of  the  empire, 
and  that  this  is  the  answer. 


HAGGAI    AND    ZECHAKIAH.  427 

deepened  by  the  appearance  of  his  young  contemporary, 
Zechariah,  in  the  month  of  October — the  eighth  month  ^ — 
while  the  earlier  words  of  his  aged  fellovz-prophet  were 
still  fresh  in  all  minds,  and  his  later  ones  had  not  yet 
been  spoken.  Three  months  later,^  in  January,  B.C.  520, 
he  came  before  the  people  again;  but  an  interval  of 
twenty-two  months  elapsed  before  his  next  address.^ 

In  the  true  prophetic  spirit,  Zechariah,  like  Haggai, 
dwells  entirely  on  the  moral  hindrances  to  the  rebuilding 
of  the  Temple.  The  plots  of  enemies  do  not  trouble  him. 
Fifteen  years  had  passed  since  the  Keturn,  and  the  walls 
of  the  sanctuary  were  not  yet  raised,  while  the  city  itself 
was  being  laboriously,  and  in  some  cases  splendidly, 
restored.  Haggai,  a  month  before,  had  striven  to  rouse 
his  contemporaries,  by  predicting  that,  notwithstanding 
appearances,  the  glory  of  the  second  House  would  be 
even  greater  than  that  of  the  first,"*  but  his  words  had 
had  little  effect.  Zechariah,  therefore,  warns  them  to  take 
a  lesson  from  the  fate  of  their  fathers.  Their  disobedience 
to  the  prophets  had  been  their  ruin ;  let  no  such  result 
follow  now  from  a  similar  cause.  The  drought  and  the 
opposition  from  without,  showed  that  God  was  displeased ; 
let  them  seek  to  regain  His  favour.     He  thus  begins  : — 

2  Jehovah,*  has  been  very  wroth  with  your  fathers,  3  therefore 
say  unto  these,  their  sons;  thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  "Turn 
ye  to  Me,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  I  will  turn  to  you,  says 
Jehovah  of  Hosts."  4  Be  not  like  your  fathers,  to  whom  the  pro- 
phets of  former  days  cried,  saying,  "  Thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 
Turn  ye  now  from  your  evil  ways  and  from  your  evil  doings.'' 
But  they  did  not  hear  or  give  heed  to  Me,  says  Jehovah.  5  Your 
fathers — where  are  they  ?  And  the  prophets,  could  even  they 
live  for  ever  ?     But  though  all  these,  alike,  are  dead,  6  My  words 

*  Zech.  i.  1.  '  Zech.  i.  7.  ^  Zech.  vii.  1. 

<  Hagg.  ii.  9.  »  Zech.  i.  2-6. 


428  HAGGAI   AND    ZECHAEIAH. 

and  My  commands  which  I  commissioned  My  servants  the  pro- 
phets to  declare,  have  they  not  overtaken  your  fathers,  so  that 
they  turned  and  said,  "  As  Jehovah  of  Hosts  decreed  to  do  to  us, 
according  to  our  ways  and  doings,  so  has  He  dealt  with  ns." 

Three  months  later  Zechariah  announced  a  series  of 
prophetic  night-visions  with  which  he  had  been  favoured, 
thus  repeating  the  peculiar  characteristic  of  Ezekiel  and 
Daniel,  which  was,  hereafter,  to  create  so  widely  extended 
a  school  of  Jewish  Apocalyptic  literature.  The  whole  suc- 
cession of  visions,  seven  in  number,  came,  we  are  told, 
in  the  same  night,  and  all  alike  are  designed  to  confirm 
the  prediction  of  Haggai,  uttered  two  months  before,  that 
Jehovah  would  assuredly  bless  and  honour  His  people, 
if  they  were  faithful  to  Him. 

In  the  first  vision,^  a  rider  on  a  red  horse,  followed  by 
others  on  red,  speckled,  and  white  horses,  appeared  to 
the  prophet  among  a  clump  of  myrtles,^  growing  in  a 
hollow,  and  were  explained  to  be  those  sent  out  by 
Jehovah  through  the  earth,  which  they  had  found  still 
and  peaceful,  with  no  signs,  anywhere,  of  that  *'  shaking 
of  the  nations,^'  and  overthrow  of  the  enemies  of  Israel, 
predicted  by  Haggai.^  On  hearing  this,  an  angel,  who 
stood  by,  breaks  out  into  a  supplication  to  God  to  have 
pity  on  Jerusalem  and  the  cities  of  Judah,  which  had  now 
lain  waste  seventy  years.  Forthwith  Jehovah  answers  in 
"  good  and  comfortable  words,^^  which  the  angel  em- 
bodies in  a  command  that  Zechariah  should  cry  aloud  to 
his  people,  as  follows  : — 

14  Thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts  :  ^  I  am  full  of  loving  zeal  for 
Jerusalem  and  Zion,  15  but  of  indignation  at  the  heathen  dwelling 

1  Zech.  i.  8-17. 

2  Except  in  Zechariah,  the  myrtle  is  mentioned  only  in  Isa.  xli. 
19;  Iv.  13. 

3  Hagg.  ii.  7.  •*  Zech.  i.  14-17. 


HAGGAI   AND   ZECHARIAH.  429 

in  proud  security  ;  for  when  I  was  only  a  little  angry  with  Israel, 
they  added  to  his  affliction.  1 6  Therefore,  thus  says  Jehovah:  I 
have  returned  to  Jerusalem  with  mercies;  My  House  shall  be 
rebuilt  in  her;  this  is  the  saying  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts;  and  the 
measuring  line  shall  be  stretched  out  over  the  soil  of  Jerusalem. 
17  Preach,  moreover,  and  say,  Thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts  :  My 
cities  will  again  overflow  with  prosperity,  and  Jehovah  will  again 
comfort  Zion  and  choose  Jerusalem. 

It  was  thus  foreshadowed  that  God  would  visit  witli 
His  anger,  the  heathen,  now  so  secure,  and  renew  His 
favour  to  Judah.  The  second  vision  illustrated  His 
deliverance  of  Israel  in  the  past,  and  His  overthrow  of 
their  foes  in  the  future.  Four  liorns,  the  symbols  of 
power,  rose  before  the  prophet,  the  emblems  of  the 
kingdoms  that  had  ^'  scattered  Judah,  Israel,  and  Jeru- 
salem,''''^ but  forthwith  appeared  also  four  craftsmen,  to 
the  terror  of  the  horns,  to  cast  them  down. 

Next  was  seen  a  man  with  a  measuring  line  in  his 
hand,-  as  if  to  measure  the  circuit  of  Jerusalem.  He 
refrains  from  doing  so,  however,  because  the  new  city 
would  be  unwalled,  like  the  open  country,  to  contain  the 
multitude  of  its  population  and  cattle ;  Jehovah  Himself 
serving  at  once  as  its  glory  and  its  defence,  in  the 
absence  of  bulwarks  and  fortifications.^  With  such 
prospects  before  Judah,  it  was  incomprehensible  to  the 
prophet  that  so  many  of  the  exiles  should  still  remain  in 
Babylonia.  Hence,  in  the  fulness  of  his  joy,  he  lovingly 
invites  them  to  seek  a  place  in  the  favoured  city  of  their 
fathers. 

6  Haik  ye,**  hark,  and  flee  from  the  land  of  the  North,  says 

1  Zech.  i.  18-21.  2  zech.  ii.  1-5. 

3  Jerusalem,  though  it  had  walls,  in  the  end  extended  itself 
widely  on  every  side  over  the  neighbouring  hills.  Wright's 
Zechariah,  p.  36.  ■*  Zech.  ii.  6-13. 


430  HAGGAI   AND    ZECHARIAH. 

Jehovah,  for  I  will  spread  forth  your  dwellings  to  the  four  winds 
of  heaven.^  0  Zion,  deliver  thyself;  thou  that  dwellest  with  the 
daughter  of  Babylon.  8  For  thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts :  He  has 
sent  me  (His  Angel)  ^  to  the  nations  who  spoiled  you,  to  win  glory 
at  their  cost,  for  he  who  touches  you  touches  the  apple  of  His 
eye.  9  For,  lo,  I'  swing  my  hand  over  them,  and  they  will  be  a 
prey  to  those  who  served  them,  and  ye  shall  know  that  Jehovah 
of  Hosts  has  sent  me.  10  Sing  and  rejoice,  O  daughter  of  Zion  ; 
for,  lo,  I  am  coming,  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  thee,  says 
Jehovah.  11  And  many  nations  will  join  themselves  to  Jehovah 
in  that  day,  and  will  be  for  a  people  to  Me,  and  I  will  dwell  in  the 
midst  of  thee,  and  thou  shalt  know  that  Jehovah  of  Hosts  has 
sent  me  to  thee.  12  And  Jehovah  will  take  possession  of  Judah 
as  His  portion  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  will  choose  Jerusalem 
again.  13  Be  silent,  all  flesh,  before  Jehovah,  for  He  has  raised 
Himself  up  from  (His  repose  in)  His  holy  dwelling  (in  the  heavens, 
to  effect  this). 

The  more  serious  among  the  citizens  of  Judah,  ap- 
parently feared  that  their  guilt  was  too  great  for  the 
Almighty  to  pardon,  and  that  this  was  the  cause  of  their 
misadventures  since  their  return.  To  remove  such  a 
thought,  a  fourth  vision  was  vouchsafed  to  the  prophet. 
Joshua,  the  high  priest,^  as  the  representative  of  the 
whole  people,  is  seen  standing,  in  soiled  robes,  like  a 
criminal,  before  the  Angel  of  Jehovah,  with  "  the  adver- 
sary '^  ^  at  his  right  hand,  to  accuse  him.  The  accusa- 
tion, however,  not  only  fails ;  its  author  is  rebuked  by 
Jehovah,  "who  delights  in  Jerusalem,^'  for  making  it. 
"Is  not  this  (man  or  community),^'  it  is  asked,  "  a  brand 
plucked  from  the  fire  (of  exile)  ?  ''  The  soiled  robes  are 
then  taken  off,  at  the  command  of  the  Angel,  and  robes  of 

^  The  future  vast  extension  of  Jerusalem  is  referred  to. 
2  Zech.  ii.  3.  ^  The  Angel. 

4  Zech.  iii.  1-10. 

5  The  word  is  "  the  Satan  "  or  Adversary,  and  thus  it  is  not  a 
proper  name,  but  an  official  title. 


HAGGAI    AND    ZECHARIAH. 


431 


honour  put  on,  a  pure  priestly  turban  being  set,  besides, 
on  Joshua's  head ;  the  Angel,  moreover,  promises  him,  in 
the  name  of  Jehovah,  that  if  he  walked  in  God's  ways 
and  was  zealous  for  His  law,  he  would  remain  the  judge 
of  His  House  and  the  guardian  of  His  courts,  and  would 
go  out  and  in  among  the  Angels  standing  there.  He 
and  the  other  dignitaries  of  the  priesthood  who  sit  with 
him,  men  of  rank  and  note,  are  to  take  heed  to  what 
they  have  heard ;  for  Jehovah  is  about  to  bring  forth  His 
Servant,  the  Branch  (of  David) — that  is,  the  Messiah. 
Nor  is  there  any  fear  of  God  neglecting  Zion,  for  His 
Providence  watches  its  interests  like  so  many  eyes;  nay, 
a  stone  seen  in  the  vision,  as  an  emblem  of  the  newly 
founded  Theocracy,  has  seven  eyes  upon  it,  and  was  being 
prepared  by  the  hand  of  God  Himself,  perhaps  for  the 
topstone  of  the  New  Temple,  under  the  Messiah.  The 
whole  is,  of  course,  only  a  vision,  but  the  lesson  was  clear. 
The  ''  Branch,''  who  was  to  bring  salvation  to  Israel, 
would  assuredly  come,  and  the  iniquity  of  the  land  would 
be  removed  in  one  day,  when  the  atonement  was  made 
once  for  all,  not  yearly,  as  in  the  past.  That  accom- 
plished, a  blissful  time  would  begin,  when  each  would 
call  his  neighbour  to  sit  under  his  vine  and  fig-tree,  in 
sweet  and  holy  security. 

A  new  vision  followed  at  a  short  interval,  this  time 
referring  to  Zerubbabel,  as  the  one  before  had  referred 
to  Joshua,  the  high  priest.  There  appeared  a  seven- 
branched  lamp,^  like  that  in  the  Mosaic  Tabernacle,  with 
two  olive-trees  beside  it ;  the  symbol,  it  may  be,  of  the 
glorious  light  which  the  Church  was  hereafter  to  shed ;  ^ 
or  perhaps  of  the  quickening  power  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  in  all  that   concerned  the   spiritual  Israel.^      The 

1  Zech.  iv.  1-5.  «  Keil. 

*  Ewald,  Steiner  and  Eichhorn,  think  the  lamp  a  symbol  of  the 


432  HAGGAI   AND    ZECHARIAH. 

lesson  it  was  to  teach  was  conveyed  by  the  attendant 
Angel. 

6  This  1  is  the  word  of  Jehovah  to  Zerubbabel :  "  Not  by  might, 
nor  by  power,  but  by  My  Spirit ! "  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 
7  Who  art  thou,  O  great  mountain  of  difficulties,  before  Zerub- 
babel? Become  a  plain  :  for  He — Jehovah— will  bring  forth  the 
top-stone  (of  the  New  Temple),  amidst  joyful  cries  of  *'  Grace, 
grace  from  God,  be  on  it." 

He  had  laid  its  foundation,  and  He  would  finish  it.  No 
one  had  a  right  to  despise  the  past  day  of  small  things, 
for  the  seven  mystic  eyes,  the  visionary  emblems  of 
God's  watchful  providence  over  all  the  earth,  had  already 
seen  with  joy  the  plummet  in  the  hand  of  Zerubbabel, 
when  the  foundation  stone  was  laid  in  the  presence  of 
Joshua,^  and  this  was  an  earnest  that  what  God  had 
begun.  He  would  complete. 

The  Temple  thus  to  be  gloriously  finished  would  be 
marked  by  the  reign  of  holiness.  A  flying  scroll  of  a 
book,  of  huge  size,  appeared — thirty  feet  long  and  fifteen 
feet  broad — the  portentous  enbodiment  of  the  curse  of 
the  Almighty  on  all  sinners  in  the  land.  Like  it,  the 
false  swearer  and  the  thief  would  be  driven  away  before 
the  breath  of  the  Divine  wrath.^  Nor  was  this  all; 
wickedness  of  every  kind  would  be  purged  from  the 
bounds  now  sanctified  by  the  presence  of  Jehovah  in  His 
restored  Temple.  A  huge  vessel  was  also  seen  in  the 
vision,  *  the  emblem  of  the  fate  awaiting  all  evil  doers. 

New  Temple,  which  was  to  spring  from  the  efforts  of  Joshua  and 
Zerubbabel,  of  whom  the  two  olive-trees  were  emblems.  Keil 
more  justly  considers  these  the  representatives  of  the  spiritual 
agencies,  by  which  God  brings  His  heavenly  influence  to  bear  on 
the  Church. 

1  Zech.  iv.  6-14.  2  ^ech.  iii.  9.  ^  ^ech.  v.  1-4. 

*  An  "  Ephah " — the  largest  Hebrew  dry  measure.  Keil, 
ZacJiarja,  p.  673. 


HAGGAI    AND    ZECHARIAH.  433 

for  on  a  great  round  disk  of  lead  which  had  covered 
its  mouth  being  lifted,  Wickedness,  personified  as  a 
woman,  was  seen  sitting  within,  as  in  a  prison,  or  Hke 
a  wild  beast  in  its  cage.  This  vessel,  two  winged  female 
forms  presently  lifted  from  the  ground,  and  bore  away 
to  Babylonia,  the  symbol,  in  those  days,  of  the  land  of 
uncleanness  and  evil,  and  thus  Judah  was  purged  from 
its  presence.^ 

That  such  modes  of  presenting  spiritual  lessons  should 
have  ever  been  popular  and  intelligible,  marks  the 
immense  difference  between  the  East  and  the  West. 
Oriental  fancy  delights  in  mysterious  imagery  and 
parable,  as  vehicles  of  religious  truth.  The  later  He- 
brew literature,  especially,  shows  these  characteristics, 
but  isolated  examples  of  them  occur  earlier,  as  in  the 
vision  of  Micaiah,  -  portions  of  the  introduction  to  the 
Book  of  Proverbs,  and  the  Book  of  Job  as  a  whole.  In 
the  age  before  Christ,  it  had  become  the  favourite  style 
of  composition,  as  is  seen  in  the  Jewish  Sybilline  verses, 
the  Book  of  Henoch,  the  Book  of  Jubilees,  the  Assump- 
tion of  Isaiah,  and  the  Assumption  of  Moses,  and  it  has 
been  followed,  to  a  very  large  extent,  by  the  Rabbis,  in 
later  ages.  To  the  Western  mind,  however,  such  modes  of 
writing  must  always  remain  in  great  part  unintelligible ; 
and  indeed,  the  visions  of  the  prophets,  from  Ezekiel 
downwards,  have  been  frankly  proclaimed  by  the  Rabbis 
themselves  as  beyond  full  human  comprehension.  It  is 
vain  therefore  to  attempt  to  explain  the  obscure  references 
of  those  of  Zechariah. 

This  applies  in  its  fullest  sense  to  the  seventh  and 
last  vision  ^  of  that  eventful  night.  Four  chariots — 
whether  of  war  or  peace  is  not  stated — were  seen  issuing 
from  between  two  mountains  of  copper,  which  have  been 

1  Zech.  V.  5-11.         2  1  Kings  xxii.  19  S.         ^  Zech.  vi.  1-8. 

VOL.    VI.  F   P 


434  HAGGAI   AND   ZECHARIAH. 

variously  interpreted  as  vague  symbols  of  the  protection 
extended  by  God  to  His  people,  or  of  the  powers  of  the 
world,  or  of  Mounts  Olivet  and  Zion,  with  the  Valley  of 
Jehoshaphat  lying  between.  Ingenuity  has  exhausted 
itself  in  trying  to  assign  a  meaning  to  the  colours  of  the 
horses  in  the  different  chariots  ;  but  they  may  have  served, 
after  all,  only  to  distinguish  the  one  chariot  from  the 
other.  Sent  forth  to  the  north  and  south,  and  through 
the  earth,  they  flew,  swift  as  the  wind,  on  their  errand, 
respecting  which  we  have  only  the  mysterious  statement 
of  the  attendant  Angel,  that  those  sent  to  the  north 
had  appeased  the  Divine  anger  on  that  region ;  a  hint, 
perhaps,  that  they  were  commissioned  to  break  up  the 
quiet  and  haughty  security  of  the  heathen  kingdoms, 
and  bring  on  them  the  judgments  of  God  foretold  by  the 
prophets,  as  the  sign  of  the  approach  of  the  Messiah.^ 

Night  had  now  passed  ;  but  an  incident  throwing  mo- 
mentary light  on  these  long  dead  years  took  place  next 
morning.  Some  Jews  of  the  Captivity  had  come  from 
Babylon,  on  a  visit  to  their  brethren,  apparently  as  a 
deputation  from  the  great  body  of  exiles  who  voluntarily 
remained  in  Babylonia.  They  had  been  hospitably 
lodged  in  the  house  of  one  Josiah,  at  Jerusalem,  and  had 
brought  a  tribute  of  gold  and  silver  with  them,  to  express 
the  sympathy  felt  for  Judah  by  their  brethren  on  the 
banks  of  the  Chebar.  Of  this  silver  and  gold,  Zechariah 
was  directed  to  have  crowns  made,  primarily,  for  the 
head  of  Joshua  the  high  priest,  but  ultimately  to  be  laid 
up  in  the  Temple  when  it  was  finished,  as  a  memorial 
before  God  of  those  whose  loving  bounty  had  provided 
the  materials.  The  prophet  was  also  commissioned  to 
say  to  Joshua,  in  words  which  look  beyond  Zerubbabel 
to  the  great  Messiah : — 

*  Zech.  i.  11.     Hagg.  ii.  7. 


HAGGAI   AND    ZECHAEIAH.  435 

12  Behold,^  a  man  shall  rise,  and  his  name  shall  be  The 
Branch  of  David,  and  under  him  will  all  things  prosper,  =  and  he 
will  build  the  Temple  of  Jehovah.  13  He,  even  he,  shall  build 
it,  and  he  will  bear  kingly  glory,  ^  and  sit  and  rule  on  his  throne, 
and  he  will  also  be  a  priest  on  his  throne,  and  there  will  be  a 
counsel  of  peace  between  him  and  Jehovah.^ 

Help,  of  which  the  crowns  were  an  earnest,  would  be 
sent,  moreover,  from  distant  lands,  as  had  been  so  often 
predicted,  if  Judah  loyally  obeyed  the  voice  of  its  God.° 

Nearly  two  years  elapsed  before  the  next  incident 
recorded.  In  December,  B.C.  519,^  a  deputation  from 
the  inhabitants  of  Bethel, ^  the  ancient  seat  of  the  calf- 
worship,  came  to  Jerusalem  to  intreat  the  favour  of 
God  for  their  town,  and  also  to  inquire  from  the  priests 
and  prophets,  of  whom  we  know  only  Haggai  and 
Zechariah,  whether  the  fast  in  the  fifth  month,  to  com- 
memorate the  destruction  of  the  Temple,  should  still  be 
continued.  Darius  had  just  issued  a  new  decree,^  ratify- 
ing the  earlier  permission  of  Cyrus,  to  rebuild  the 
Temple,  which  had  already,  for  some  time,  been  rising 
from  its  ashes  ^  through  the  influence  of  the  prophets. 
This  activity,  however,  had  not  been  unopposed.  The 
Persian  governor  of  Syi'ia  and  Phenicia — the  division  of 
the  empire  west  of  the  Euphrates ^° — with  his  subordinate 
ofiicials,  sent  for  the  names  of  those  by  whose  authority 
the  Temple  and  the  city  wall  were  being  restored, 
and  demanded  the  right  they  had  to  take  such  steps. 
But,  though  this  led  to  correspondence,   the  work  con- 

1  Zech.  vi.  12, 13.  2  ^ivald.     Steiner. 

^  The  word  used  is  that  appropriated  to  kingly  majesty. 
■•  This  seems  the  true  meaning  of  the  phrase. 
5  Zech.  vi.  15.  ^  Kislew. 

'  Zech.  vii.  2.  "  The  house  of  God  "  should  be  untranslated,  as 
the  proper  name  *'  Bethel."  ^  Ezra  vi.  1. 

9  Ezra  iv.  24 ;  v.  2.  »    Ezra  v.  3. 


436  HAGGAI    AND    ZECHARIAH. 

tinued  steadily  to  advance.  Meanwhile^  the  Persian 
governor  had  transmitted  to  Darius  a  report  of  what  was 
doing.  He  and  his  staff,  he  said,  had  gone  to  Jerusalem, 
and  found  that  the  Temple  was  being  rebuilt,  on  the 
strength  of  a  decree  of  Cyrus.  Search  having  been 
made,  in  consequence,  at  Ecbatana,  in  Media,  one  of 
the  Persian  capitals,^  the  action  of  the  Jews  had  been 
vindicated.  The  decree  had  been  found  in  the  royal 
palace,  and  the  hostile  governor  of  the  West  was  there- 
fore ordered  to  allow  the  work  to  proceed,  and  to  defray 
the  expense  from  the  imperial  treasury.  He  was,  more- 
over, to  provide*  the  requisites  for  the  sacrifices  and 
offerings  of  the  new  sanctuary,  that  the  loyal  prayers  of 
the  worshippers  might  be  secured.^ 

The  law  of  Moses  enjoined  only  one  day  of  fasting 
in  the  year — that  of  the  great  Day  of  Atonement,^  but 
Israel  had  long  been  in  the  habit  of  holding  fasts  for 
any  great  national  calamity.*  In  Babylon,  four  had,  ap- 
parently, been  regularly  kept  each  year — on  the  anniver- 
saries of  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Chaldeans,^  of 
the  burning  of  the  city  and  Temple,^  of  the  murder  of 
Gedaliah,^  and  of  the  beginning  of  the  siege  of  the  Holy 
City  by  Nebuchadnezzar.^  But  that  which  commemo- 
rated the  burning  of  the  city  and  Temple  seemed,  to  the 
people  of  Bethel,  out  of  place,  now  that  both  were  rising 
from  their  ashes. ^  It  was  asked,  therefore,  if  it  should 
be  continued. 

1  Ezra  vi.  2.  2  Ezra  vi.  1-12.  ^  Lev.  xxiii.  26-32. 

*  Jud.  XX.  26.  1  Sam.  vii.  6;  xxxi.  13.  Joel  ii.  15.  Isa.  Iviii. 
3-12.  '  Jer.  Hi.  6,  7. 

6  2  Kings  XXV.  8.     Jer.  lii.  12.  ?  Jer.  xli.  43 

^  2  Kings  XXV.  1.  Jer.  hi.  4.  These  fasts  were  held  respec- 
tively on  the  ninth  of  the  fourth  month,  and  the  seventh  and 
tenth  of  the  fifth,  seventh,  and  tenth  months.    See  Zech.  viii.  19. 

®  Hagg.  i.  4. 


4 
HAGGAI   AND    ZECHARIAH.  437 

The  answer  vouchsafed  was  a  striking  illustration  of 
the  worthlossnesSj  in  the  sight  of  God,  of  mere  outward 
forms,  apart  from  the  spiritual  state  of  those  observing 
them.  Not  only  the  men  of  Bethel,  but  all  the  people 
of  the  land,  were  told,  in  effect,  that  fasting,  like  eating 
and  drinking,  was  their  concern,  not  God's.  They  were 
free  to  fast  if  they  found  it  of  advantage,  but  their  doing 
so  rested  with  themselves.  To  lament  the  burning  of 
the  Temple  in  the  fifth  month,  or  the  murder  of  Gedaliah 
in  the  seventh,  was  left  to  their  own  pleasure.  What 
God  cared  for  was,  that  they  should  obey  His  words, 
spoken  by  the  prophets  in  the  days  of  the  glory  of 
Jerusalem  and  Judah,  when  the  territory  of  the  king- 
dom extended  to  the  Negeb  and  the  Maritime  Plain,^ 
now  held  by  the  Edomites  and  the  Philistines. 

The  essence  of  what  was  thus  uttered  to  their  fathers, 
Zechariah  tells  us,  was  that  they  should : — 

9  Judge  righteous  judgment,-  and  show  love  and  compassion 
every  one  to  the  other.  lo  Do  not  oppress  the  widow,  or  the 
fatherless,  the  alien  or  the  poor,  and  let  none  of  you  imagine  evil 
against  his  brother  in  his  heart.  Ii  But  (he  adds)  your  fathers 
refused  to  hearken,  and  gave  an  unwilling  shoulder  to  God's 
yoke,  and  stopped  their  ears,  that  they  should  not  ear.  12  Yea, 
they  hardened  their  hearts  like  a  diamond,  not  to  hear  the  Law, 
and  the  words  sent  by  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  through  His  Spirit, 
by  the  earlier  prophets.  13  Therefore  there  came  great  wrath 
from  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  And  since  they  would  not  hear  when 
He  called,  so,  said  He,  "  They  shall  call  and  I  will  not  hear, 
14  and  I  will  scatter  them  with  a  tempest,  among  all  the  nations 
whom  they  do  not  know,  and  the  land  shall  be  desolate  behind 
them,  no  one  passing  through  or  returning  to  it."  Thus  the 
wickedness  of  your  fathers  made  the  pleasant  land  a  desolation. 

It  had  been  thus  in  the  past,  but  better  days  had 
come.     The  newly  awakened  zeal  of  the  people  for  Jeho- 

i  Ezra  vii.  1-8.  2  Zech.  vii.  9-14. 


438  HAGGAI   AND    ZECHAEIAH. 

vah  had  won  back  His  favour,  and  He  would  bless  them 
beyond  measure,  if  they  honoured  His  Law  in  the  future. 
Portions  of  at  least  two  addresses,  to  cheer  the  com- 
munity by  such  assurances,  still  remain.  In  the  first, 
Zechariah  speaks  thus  : — 

2  I,  Jehovah  of  Hosts,^  am  exceeding  jealous  for  the  honour 
of  Zion,  yea,  jealous  beyond  measure.  3  I  have  returned  to  Zion, 
and  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  Jerusalem,  and  it  will  be  a  city  of 
the  truth,  the  mountain  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  the  Holy  Mountain. 
4  Thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts :  Old  men  and  old  women  shall 
yet  sit  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  each  man  staff  in  hand  for 
very  age,  5  and  the  streets  will  be  full  of  boys  and  girls  playing 
in  them.  6  If  this  be  marvellous  in  the  eyes  of  the  remnant 
of  this  people  (alive)  in  those  days,  shall  it  be  marvellous  in  My 
eyes  ?  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  7  Thus  says  He :  Behold  I  am 
about  to  save  My  people  from  the  east  and  from  the  west ;  8  and 
I  will  bring  them  hither,  and  they  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of 
Jerusalem,  and  they  shall  be  My  people,  and  I  shall  be  their  God, 
in  truth  and  righteousness. 

9  Thus  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts  :  Let  your  hands  be  strong,  ye 
who  hear  these  words,  from  the  mouth  of  the  prophets  now  living 
in  these  days,  when  the  House  of  Jehovah  has  been  founded,  even 
the  Temple,  that  it  might  be  rebuilt.  10  For  before  these  days 
there  were  no  wages  for  men,  or  hire  for  cattle,  and  there  was  no 
peace  to  him  who  went  out  or  came  in,  because  of  the  enemy,-  for 
I  let  loose  all  men  against  each  other. 

II  But  now  am  I  not  as  I  was  in  former  days  towards  the 
remnant  of  this  people?  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  12  For  the 
plant  ^  of  peace,  the  vine,  will  yield  its  fruit,  and  the  earth  its 
increase,  and  the  heavens  their  dew ;  and  I  will  give  all  this  for 
an  inheritance  to  the  remnant  of  this  people.  13  And  it  shall 
be,  that,  as  your  fate,  sent  for  your  punishment  from  above,  was 
used  among  the  nations  as  a  curse  they  might  invoke  on  eacli 
other,  so  ye  shall  be  used  to  bless  by,  for  the  Divine  favour  shown 
you:  fear  not;  let  your  hands  be  strong! 

1  Zech.  viii.  1-17. 

2  The  passage  shows  vividly  the  wretched  condition  of  the  first 
period  of  the  Return.  *  Lit,,  "  seed." 


HAGGAT    AND    ZECHARIAH.  439 

14  For  thus  says  Jeliovab  of  Hosts  :  As  I  resolved  to  punish 
you,  when  your  fathers  provoked  Me  to  wrath,  and  I  did  nob 
repent  from  My  purpose;  15  so  I  have  once  more  resolved,  in 
these  days,  to  do  good  to  Jerusalem  and  to  the  House  of  Judah. 
Fear  not !  16  These  are  the  things  ye  shall  do  to  secure  His 
blessing;  speak  truth  every  man  to  his  neighbour,  let  your 
judges  judge  according  to  truth  and  peace  in  your  gates;  ^  17  plot 
no  evil  in  your  hearts  against  your  neighbour,  and  hate  the  false 
oath ; — for  I  hate  all  these  things,  says  Jehovah. 

The  question  of  public  fasts  seems  to  have  still  agitated 
the  community,  notwithstanding  Zechariah^s  utterance 
on  the  subject.  He  therefore  took  an  opportunity  of 
reverting  to  it.  The  four  fasts  ^  held  in  Babylon  would 
henceforth  be  turned  to  feasts,  if  they  loved  truth  and 
peace,  and  acted  up  to  the  Divine  requirements. 

20  It  will  yet  be  that  nations,  and  the  people  of  many  cities, 
will  come  as  pilgrims  to  Jerusalem;  21  and  the  inhabitants  of 
one  town  will  go  to  those  of  another,  and  say,  "  Let  us  intreat 
the  favour  of  Jehovah,  and  seek  Jehovah  of  Hosts " ;  "I  will  go 
also."  22  And  many  peoples  and  strong  nations  will  come  to 
seek  Jehovah  of  Hosts  in  Jerusalem,  and  to  intreat  His  favour. 
And  23  in  those  days  ten  men  from  all  the  languages  of  the 
nations  will  lay  hold  on  the  skirt  of  a  Jew,  and  say,  "  Let  us  go 
up  to  Jerusalem  with  you,  for  we  have  heard  that  God  is  with 
you." 

The  zeal  and  industry  of  the  authorities  of  Judah, 
having  once  been  fairly  roused  by  the  fervent  energy 
of  the  prophets,  sustained  itself  nobly  till  the  new 
Temple  was  finished.  Four  years  suflSced  for  this,  so 
great  was  the  enthusiasm,  and  so  eflBcient  the  help  from 
the  Persian  authorities,  after  Darius  had  favoured  the 
undertaking.  At  last,  in  March  of  the  year  B.C.  516, 
the  sixth  year  of  Darius,  twenty  years  after  the  Return, 

^  Where  the  open-air  courts  of  the  East  were  held. 
«  Zech.  viii.  18-23. 


440  HAGGAI   AND    ZECHARIAH. 

the  sanctuary  was  ready  for  consecration,  tliougli  details 
in  its  ornamentation  seem  to  liave  been  added  so  late  as 
tlie  reign  of  Artaxerxes,  tlie  next  Persian  king.^ 

We  know  very  little  of  tlie  building  tkus  raised,  after 
so  long  a  struggle  with  open  enemies,  apathetic  friends, 
and  meagre  resources.  It  seems,  with  its  forecourts,  to 
have  occupied  the  same  space  as  that  of  Solomon.  The 
size  of  the  edifice  itself,  if  the  measurements  given  in  the 
decree  of  Cyrus  were  followed,"  was  larger  than  that  of 
its  predecessor.^  A  wall  of  three  rows  of  squared  stone, 
coped  with  planed  beams,  enclosed  the  wide  space  of  the 
the  Temple  grounds.*  The  Holy  of  Holies,  which  was 
shut  off  by  a  great  veiling  curtain,^  was  entirely  empty, 
but  a  point  of  the  natural  rock,  projecting  three  finger 
breadths  above  the  ground,  took  the  place  of  the  ancient 
ark  and  furnished  a  rest  on  which  the  high  priest  could 
lay  his  pan  of  incense,  on  the  great  Day  of  Atonement.^ 
It  was,  perhaps,  the  rock  at  present  enclosed  as  the 
central  mystery  of  the  Mosque  of  Oraar.'^  The  ark  was 
supposed  either  to  have  been  hidden  by  Jeremiah,  in 
Mount  Nebo,^  or  to  have  been  carried  to  heaven  ^  till  the 
appearance  of  the  Messiah.  The  cherubim,  the  tables 
of  stone,  the  urn  of  manna,  and  the  rod  of  Aaron, 
were  similarly  absent — a  state  of  things  anticipated  by 
Jeremiah  in  his  prediction,  that  when  the  nobler  pre- 
sence of  Jehovah  was  vouchsafed  under  the  regenerated 

1  Ezra  vi.  14,  15.  *  ^  ^zra  vi.  3  ff. 

^  The  only  notice  we  Lave  of  the  size  of  the  Second  Temple, 
besides  the  incidental  allusions  in  Ezra,  is  found  in  Jos.,  Ant, 
XV.  xi.  1. 

-»  Ezra  vi.  4.  ^  1  Mace.  i.  22  ;  iv.  51. 

6  Jos.,  Bell.  Jud.,  V.  V.  5.     Joma,  v.  2.     Bielim,  pp.  210, 1635. 

''  Seo  Recovery  of  Jerusalem,  passim. 

^  2  Mace.  ii.  5.    Treasures  of  the  Talmud,  p.  32.    This  vol.  p.  211. 

3  Rev.  xi.  19. 


HAGGAI    AND    ZECHARIAH. 


441 


Theocracy,  men  would  no  longer  think  of  the  ark.^  The 
golden  shields  that  had  hung  in  the  outer  chambers  were 
gone,  and  so  was  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  which  the 
high  priest  had  worn  over  his  official  robes.  As  in  the 
Tabernacle,  there  was  only  one  golden  lamp  in  the  Holy 
Place,  behind  the  veil,-  a  table  of  shewbread,  and  the 
incense  altar,  plated  with  gold,^  with  golden  censers,  and 
a  goodly  array  of  the  ancient  vessels  of  precious  metal, 
carried  off  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  but  restored  by  Cyrus. 


The  Seven-beanchbd   Candlestick,  and  Other  Spoil  feom  the   TEjrpLB. — 

Arch  of  Titus. 

There  were  two  forecourts,*  in  the  inner  of  which  stood 
the  huge  square  altar  of  burnt  offering,  of  unhewn  stones^ 
— thirty  feet  each  way,  and  fifteen  high,  with  an  approach 
by  an  inclined  plane.  A  great  bason,  for  the  necessary 
ablutions  of  the  priests,  stood  near  it.^      The  court  was 

^  Jer.  iii.  16 ;  xxxi.  31.     Only  the  tables  of  stone  had  been  in 

Solomon's  Temple.     1  Kings  viii.  9.  2  Chron.  v.  9. 

2 1  Mace.  iv.  51.  3  1  Mace.  i.  23 ;  iv.  49. 

4 1  Mace.  i.  38  (48  in  Greek).  «  1  Mace.  iv.  44. 
«  Sirach  1.  3. 


442  HAGGAI    AND    ZECHARIAH. 

bordered  by  convenient  store  chambers  and  cells/  and 
by  cbambers  for  the  priests/  the  whole  being  adorned  by 
pillared  porches.^  A  bridge  led,  on  the  west,  over  the 
valley  between  Moriah  and  Zion/  and  various  gates  per- 
mitted free  entrance  and  egress  at  different  points. 

In  the  former  Temple,  numerous  trees,  "  planted  in  the 
courts  of  the  Lord,"  ^  had  offered  a  welcome  shade  to 
the  throngs  of  worshippers,  but  none  were  permitted  in 
the  courts  of  the  Second  Temple,  perhaps  from  dread  of 
having  anything  like  a  heathen  grove  near  the  sanctuary. 
Another  contrast  was  no  less  striking.  No  longer  its 
own  master,  the  dependence  of  the  community  on  a 
foreign  State,  was  shown  in  the  erection  of  a  military 
tower  or  castle  at  the  north-west  of  the  precincts,^  by 
the  Persian  authorities,  as  a  residence  for  the  governor, 
and,  if  necessary,  a  military  post.  This  was  the  building- 
known  during  the  Roman  domination  as  the  Fortress 
Antonia,  the  Baris  of  the  Asmoneans.  Over  the  eastern 
gate  of  the  Temple  space  another  sign  of  foreign  rule  was 
seen,  in  a  sculptured  representation  of  the  Persian  capital, 
from  which  the  gate  was  known  as  that  of  Susa.  For 
the  first  time,  also,  a  space  was  provided,  by  cutting  oif 
part  of  the  outer  court,  for  heathen  proselytes,  who,  while 
worshippers  of  Jehovah,  had  not  entirely  conformed  to 
Judaism. 

The  exact  date  of  the  consecration  of  the  new  Temple 
is  not  stated,  but  it  was  doubtless  a  time  of  great  re- 
joicing. The  priests  and  Levites  in  their  respective 
*'  courses,"  or  successive  periods  of  service,  and  the  people 

1  Ezra  viii.  29  ;  x.  6.     Neh.  iii.  30;  x.  37;  xii.  44;  xiii.  6. 

2  1  Mace.  iv.  38-48. 

3  Jos.,  Ant,  XL  iv.  7  ;  XIY.  xvi.  2. 

4  Jos.,  Ant,  XIY.  iv.  2.     Bell.  Jud.,  I.  vii.  2. 

«  Jos.,  c.  Ap.,  i.  22.  *  Neh.  ii.  8;    vii.  2. 


HAGGAI   AND   ZECHARIAH.  443 

at  large,  were  at  last  of  one  mind  in  their  loyalty  to  the 
ancient  faith.  A  sin  offering  for  all  Israel/  of  a  hundred 
oxen,  two  hundred  rams,  and  four  hundred  lambs,  smoked 
on  the  altar,  with  twelve  goats,  in  addition,  to  represent 
the  twelve  tribes;  as  if  in  fond  hope  that  the  whole 
captivity  of  North  and  South  would,  some  day,  reassemble 
round  the  one  religious  centre. 

In  due  time  followed  the  celebration  of  the  passover, 
the  first  after  the  Return,  on  the  14th  of  Nisan,  our  April, 
its  ancient  date;  the  seven  days  of  unleavened  bread 
succeeding,  at  its  close.  No  ceremonial  laxity  was 
any  longer  permitted.  The  priests  and  Levites,  without 
exception,  had  purified  themselves  strictly,  according  to 
'^  the  book  of  Moses/'  The  exclusive  right  of  slaying 
the  paschal  lambs  for  priest  and  laity  alike,  as  well  as 
for  their  own  order,  was  assumed  by  the  Levites.  An- 
ciently, every  head  of  a  family  had  done  so  for  his  own 
household;^  at  the  passover  of  Hezekiah,  the  Levites 
killed  the  lambs  for  all  who  had  not  legally  purified  them- 
selves ;  ^  but  from  the  days  of  Josiah,  the  great  restorer 
of  Judaism  in  its  narrow  sense,  and  indeed  its  virtual 
founder,  the  usage  had  been  introduced  which  now 
became  the  permanent  rule.^ 

From  this  time,  the  wide  recognition  of  Jerusalem  as 
the  only  religious  centre  of  Judaism,  and  the  strictness 
with  which  the  Levitical  precepts  were  enforced,  steadily 
increased.  Not  only  those  who  had  come  from  Babylon, 
but  numbers  of  the  survivors  of  the  North  and  South 
Kingdoms,  whose  fathers  had  escaped  deportation  to 
Assyria  or  the  Euphrates,  and  even  the  dispersed  from 
other  lands,  came  up  to  the  passover.  Scattered  families, 
or  small  communities,  of  pure   Jews,  still  guarded  their 

1  Ezra  vi.  16-18.  2  ^xod.  xii.  6. 

8  2  Chron.  xxx.  17.  *  2  Chron.  xxxv.  11-14. 


444  HAGGAI    AND    ZECHARIAH. 

separate  nationality  and  hereditary  faitli  in  remote  and 
sequestered  parts  of  the  land,  amidst  the  heathen  or 
half-heathen  population  by  which  it  was  mainly  occupied. 
Galilee  sent  up  its  representatives  of  the  Ten  Tribes; 
the  remnant  saved  from  Nineveh.  All  alike,  henceforth, 
separated  themselves  absolutely  from  the  heathenism 
around  them,  and  accepted  Jerusalem  as  the  religious 
nucleus  of  the  race.  The  envy  of  Ephraim  had  departed, 
and  Judah  no  longer  vexed  Ephraim.^ 

Such  a  festivity,  so  full  of  hope  and  so  tender  with 
associations  of  the  long  past,  was  a  fitting  close  to  the 
anxieties  and  alarms  of  the  twenty  years  it  happily 
ended.  Jubilant  Psalms,  bearing  in  the  Greek  version 
the  names  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah,^  embody  in  the 
hallelujahs  echoing  through  their  successive  strophes,  the 
gratitude  to  Jehovah  felt  by  the  new-born  nation.  All 
nature  is  invoked  to  praise  the  great  name  of  God, 
who  had  "  raised  up  those  that  were  bowed  down,^'  and 
had  dealt  "  with  Jacob  and  Israel,  as  He  had  not  with 
any  other  nation."  ^^  Young  men  and  maidens,  old  men 
and  children,^'  are  summoned  to  unite  in  exalting  His 
glory,  in  the  old  centre  of  their  national  religion.  The 
sound  of  the  trumpet,  the  psaltery,  and  the  harp  re- 
sounded in  the  Temple  courts,  and  the  timbrel  and 
cymbals  led  on  dances  of  maidens  in  the  spaces  around. 
It  was  meet  that  the  formal  re-establishment  of  the 
Theocracy  should  be  celebrated  amidst  universal  re- 
joicing. 

*  Isa.  xi.  13.  2  Pss.  cxliv.  cxlv.  cxlvi.  cxlvii.  cxlviii. 


^ 


CHAPTER  XIX 

QUEEN   ESTHEE. 

THE  interval,  from  the  Return  in  B.C.  536  to  the 
completion  of  the  Temple  in  B.C.  516,  had  been 
momentous  in  the  great  world.  In  B.C.  529,  Cyrus  had 
fallen  ingloriously,  in  a  distant  war,  and  had  been  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  Cambyses,  whose  reign  was  signalised, 
at  its  beginning,  by  the  secret  murder  of  his  brother 
Bardes,  and,  near  its  close,  by  that  of  one  of  his  sisters, 
who  was  also  his  wife,  and  had  dared  to  weep  for  her 
brother^s  fate.  Determined  to  reconquer  Egypt,  his 
reign  was  chiefly  spent  in  the  Nile  countries,  till,  on  his 
march  back  to  the  East,  in  B.C.  522,  he  killed  himself 
in  a  fit  of  despair,  in  Syria ;  remorse  for  the  murder  of 
his  sister  and  brother,  the  outburst  of  revolts,  and  the 
excitement  of  his  Egyptian  campaigns  and  disasters, 
having  unhinged  his  mind.^    During  his  reign,  the  colony 

^  Ebers  paints  his  ferocity  admirably  in  Eine  ^gijpt  Konigs- 
tocliter.  Like  his  father,  Cambyses  was  a  polytheist.  Egyptian 
monuments  show  that  the  story  told  by  Herodotus,  of  his  deriding 
the  Egyptian  gods,  destroying  their  images,  and  stabbing  the 
sacred  bull,  Apis,  was  quite  incorrect.  He  is  described  by  the 
inscriptions  of  the  priests  themselves  as  their  friend,  the  adorer 
of  their  gods,  and  the  benefactor  of  their  temples.  The  very  bull 
he  is  said  to  have  slain  has  been  discovered,  as  a  mummy,  in  a 

445 


446  QUEEN    ESTHER. 

at  Jerusalem  must  have  been  constantly  kept  in  agitation, 
by  the  passage  and  re-passage  of  troops  along  the  coast, 
and  by  the  anxieties  of  the  war.  Darius  Hystaspis,  who 
succeeded  him  after  a  short  interval,  when  the  false 
Bardes,  who  had  usurped  the  throne,  had  been  over- 
thrown, spent  his  reign  in  almost  constant  wars,  to  quell 
the  risings  of  province  after  province,  from  Herat  to  the 
Grecian  Archipelago.  In  the  very  year  when  the  Temple 
was  finished  (b.c.  516),  Babylon  had  to  be  wrested  by 
a  Persian  general  from  an  Armenian  prince  who  had 
seized  it ;  the  Great  King  himself  being  in  Egypt.^ 

The  reign  of  Darius  was,  however,  especially  notable 
as  that  during  which  the  great  struggle  between  Asiatic 
barbarism  and  Western  civilization,  after  having  lasted 
for  generations,  was  virtually  decided.  Determined,  like 
Cyrus,  to  conquer  the  Greeks,  in  whose  hands  in  those 
ages  were  the  destinies  of  the  world,  his  triumph  would 
have  extended  the  despotism  of  the  Bast  into  Europe, 
and  thus  the  dawning  liberty  and  progress  of  humanity 
would  have  been  extinguished  in  night.  But  this  was 
settled  for  ever  by  the  battle  of  Marathon,  in  B.C.  490 — 
the  Greeks,  by  their  success  on  that  great  day,  achieving 
the  victory  of  freedom  for  all  after  ages  in  the  Western 
continent.  Modern  history  began  when  the  Persian 
hosts  were  driven  back  to  their  ships  by  Miltiades. 
Political  and  intellectual  day  rose  on  the  world,  in  these 
hours ;  and  Asia,  yielding  up  her  supremacy  to  the  Aryan 
races,  was  finally  barred  from  crossing  the  Hellespont. 
The  reign  of  Darius  lasted  till  B.C.  486,  and  was  a  time 
of  peace  and  prosperity  to  the  Jews,  though  they  were 

huge  sarcophagus  of  granite,  on  the  outside  of  which  Cambyses 
kneels  before  the  sacred  beast,  which  we  are  told,  in  an  inscription, 
was  honoured  with  due  funeral  rites,  Cambyses  himself  taking 
part  in  them.  *  Justi,  p.  55. 


QUEEN    ESTHEK.  447 

still  exposed  to  the  intrigues  of  their  enemies  at  his 
court.  After  his  death,  the  throne  of  Western  Asia  was 
held,  for  twenty-one  years,  by  Xerxes,  who  renewed  the 
struggle  for  the  conquest  of  Greece,  in  which  his  father 
had  so  signally  failed.  But  he  only  exhausted  his 
empire,  for  his  mightiest  efforts  to  crush  the  West  were 
shattered  at  Thermopylee  and  Salamis.  News  of  these 
great  events  must  have  been  circulated  eagerly  among 
the  settlers  at  Jerusalem  and  in  Judah. 

It  was  in  the  reign  of  this  king,  whose  name,  Ahasuerus, 
was  known  to  the  Greeks  as  Xerxes,  that  the  incident 
in  Jewish  history  happened,  which  forms  the  subject  of 
the  Book  of  Esther.  The  Great  King:  was  idlins^  his  life 
away  in  the  fortress  palace  of  Shushan,  among  the  cool 
mountain  breezes  of  his  metropolitan  province,  while  his 
generals  and  soldiers  were  fighting  and  dying  for  him  in 
the  East  and  West.  The  story  opens  in  the  third  year  of 
his  reign,  about  seven  years  after  the  battle  of  Marathon,^ 
while  the  war  with  Greece,  so  disastrous  to  Persia,  was 
still  raging.  But  the  majestic  empire  of  Cyrus  and 
Darius  still  held  together,  from  India  to  Ethiopia,  em- 
bracing 127  provinces,  and  surrounding  its  chief  with 
almost  unimaginable  splendour  and  wealth. 

The  city  of  Susa  lay  about  150  miles  north  of  the 
head  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  in  the  uplands  of  Susiana,  a 
mountainous  region,  east  of  the  Tigris.  The  river 
Choaspes  flowed  brightly  through  the  valleys  on  the 
east  of  the  city,  while  the  Eulaeus,  the  Ulai  of  Daniel,^ 
with  the  Shapur,  and  other  streams,  spread  a  network  of 
shining  waters  round  it,  making  the  region  a  proverb  for 
its  luxuriance  and  fertility.^     The  capital  was  famous  for 

^  Marathon  B.C.  490.     The  reign  of  Xerxes  was  extended  from 
B.C.  486— B.C.  465  {Vaiix),  or  B.C.  485—465  (Justi). 
^  Dan.  viii.  2,  16.  3  Geog.  Journ.,  vol.  ix.  p.  71. 


448  QUEEN   ESTHER. 

its  palace  fortress,  one  of  the  residences  of  the  Great 
King;  each  monarch,  apparently,  adding  a  house  for  him- 
self to  the  vast  piles  already  built  by  his  predecessors. 
Huge  mounds  are  now  the  only  relics  of  all  this  magni- 
ficence, but  at  Persepolis,  in  the  mountains,  about  300 
miles  to  the  south-east,  the  remains  of  a  palace  built  by 
Xerxes  himself,  help  us  to  realize  the  splendour  of  that 
of  Shushan.  A  great  platform  of  hewn  stone  formed  a 
terrace  for  the  central  building,  which  measured  about 
350  feet  in  width  and  250  feet  in  depth.  Some  of  the 
pillars  which  bore  up  its  porticoes  are  still  standing, 
and  vary  in  height  from  60  to  76  feet ;  their  whole  sur- 
face covered  with  elaborate  ornamentation.  An  immense 
hall,  in  which  stood  the  throne,  stretched  across  the  front 
of  this  central  building,  while  other  chambers  equally 
grand,  flanked  it  on  either  side.  At  Shushan,  the  palace 
stood  on  a  similar  platform,  forming  a  square  of  about 
1,000  feet  each  way,  and  rising,  apparently,  from  50  to 
60  feet  above  the  surrounding  level.  The  walls  of  the 
central  hall,  which  was  about  200  feet  square,  were 
18  feet  in  thickness,  and  the  three  great  antechambers 
measured,  each,  200  feet  in  width  and  65  in  depth. 
Thirty- six  pillars  supported  the  roof,  while  that  of  each 
of  the  antechambers  rested  on  twelve.  But  this  was 
only  the  lower  storey.  Overhead,  the  building  rose  to 
a  height  of  from  100  to  120  feet,  so  that  it  must  have 
towered,  in  all,  170  or  180  feet  above  the  ground. 
Spreading  far  on  every  side  from  this  amazing  structure 
were  gardens,  well  called  a  "  paradise.^'  Huge  four- 
footed  colossi,  with  wings  and  human  heads,  flanked  all 
the  gates  and  doors ;  and  flights  of  marble  steps,  the 
stones  of  which  were  of  gigantic  size,  supplied  approaches 
worthy  of  such  a  building.^ 

^  Fergusson,  in  Diet,  of  the  Bible.     Jiosti,  p.  107. 


QUEEN    ESTHER. 


449 


Fifty-two  years  had  passed  since  the  Return,  when 
Xerxes,  in  the  mere  license  of  pride  and  boundless  wealth, 
ordered  a  series  of  feasts  to  be  given,  on  a  scale  of  sur- 
passing magnificence,  in  his  grounds  and  halls.  The 
table  of  the  Great  King  was  proverbial  for  its  splendid 
appointments  and  its  luxury.  Vast  numbers  of  oxen, 
game,  and  fowl,  were  consumed  each  day ;  for  not  only 
the  king,  his  court  and  harem,  but  his  whole  lifeguard, 
consisting  of  2,000  cavalry,  2,000 
mounted  lancers,  and  10,000  infantry, 
were  fed  in  the  palace.^ 

Summoned  to  the  great  festival  now 
to  be  held,  all  the  satraps  and  their 
subordinates,  the  chiefs  of  the  Persian 
and  Median  armies,  and  the  nobles 
and  magnates  of  the  empire,^  as- 
sembled in  successive  companies  dur- 
ing six  months,  for  so  long  did  the 
succession  of  banquets  last,  each 
marked  by  all  possible  magnificence, 
to  display  the  wealth  and  flatter  the 
majesty  of  the  king.  Nor  was  even 
this  enough.  The  great  world  having 
thus  been  duly  honoured,  a  feast  of 
seven  days  was  proclaimed  for  all  the 
population  of  Susa,  in  the  '^  court  of  the  garden  of  the 
king^s  palace.''^  White,  parti-coloured,  and  purple-blue 
hangings,  held,  by  cords  of  white  and  purple,  to  silver 
curtain  poles  and  marble  pillars,  turned  the  vast  space 
laid    out  for   the   banquet,  into   a  grand   open-air   hall. 

^  Herod.,  vii.  40,  41.  Dmicker,  Gescli.  des  Alterth.,  vol.  ii.  p.  609. 
Jiisti,  p.  126.  Ebers  makes  the  Great  King  feed  15,000  men  daily 
(JEgypt.  Kdiiigstochter,  vol.  iii.  p.  59).  The  cost  he  estimates  at 
£90,000  a  day.  ^  Esth.  i.  3. 

VOL.    VI.  G  G 


Peesian-  Noble. 


450 


QUEEN    ESTHEE. 


Couclies  of  gold  and  silver  for  tlie  guests  stretched  in 
long  rows,  and  the  ground  was  paved  for  the  occasion 
with  alabaster,  mother  of  pearl;  and  black  and  white 
marble.^  The  drinking  vessels  for  the  throng  of  guests 
were  each  different  in  pattern  from  the  other,  and  all  of 
gold ;  and  the  wine  from  the  royal  cellars  was  either  that 
of  Aleppo,  which  alone  the  Great  King  drank,  or  of  some 
other  famous  growths.^     Precious  as  it  was,  it  flowed  like 

water ;    every   one    could 
drink  as  he  chose. 

The  Persian  kings  had 
always  several  wives  of 
various  grades,^  including, 
generally,  one  or  more  of 
their  own  sisters.  At  this 
time  Vashti,  ^Hhe  best,'' 
reigned  supreme  as  the 
royal  favourite,  though 
probably  not  a  wife  of  the 
first  rank.  To  her  it  fell 
to  entertain  the  women  of 
Susa  at  a  separate  feast, 
for  the  guests  were  too 
numerous  to  allow  the 
ladies  to  sit,  as  usual, 
with  their  husbands.^  The 
feasting  had  lasted  six  days,  and  was  to  close  on  the 

*  This  appears  to  be  the  proper  translation  of  Esther  i.  6. 

2  The  Great  King,  wherever  he  might  be,  drank  only  the  water 
of  the  Choaspes,  from  Susa,  ate  only  bread  from  wheat  of  Egypt 
or  Assos,  and  drank  only  the  wine  of  Aleppo.  This  reminds  one 
of  that  inexpressible  imposture,  the  Turkish  Sultan,  having  water 
from  the  Nile  carried  everywhere  after  him  through  Europe,  for 
his  baths. 

3  Herod.,  iii.  2,  68,  69.     Darius  had  six.    *  Herod.,  ix.  110;  v.  18. 


The  Pbesian  KiNQ.—BcMstan. 


QDEKN    ESTHER.  451 

seventh.  Wine  and  excitement  had  turned  the  brain  of 
Xerxes.  Forgetting  his  royal  dignity  and  that  of  his 
queens,  he  called  on  the  seven  eunuchs  who  waited  before 
him,  to  bring  Vashti,  and  display  her  charms,  unveiled, 
before  the  assembled  multitude  of  half-drunken  men. 
But  remembering  perhaps,  how,  in  the  time  of  Darius, 
the  Macedonian  ladies,  introduced  to  a  Persian  banquet 
in  the  same  way,  had  been  grossly  insulted,^  she  hesitated 
to  come,  alike  from  respect  to  the  king  and  to  herself. 
It  was  enough.  Disobedience  on  the  part  of  any  one,  to 
his  lightest  whim,  was  not  to  be  brooked.  It  might  be 
followed  by  others.  Yashti,  moreover,  had  an  enemy 
present — the  chief  of  the  eunuchs — who  fanned  the  mad 
anger  of  his  master.  His  proposal  that  she  should  be 
degraded,  and  another  queen  chosen  in  her  place,  was  at 
once  accepted. 

Among  the  descendants  of  the  Jewish  exiles  carried  off 
by  Nebuchadnezzar  in  his  first  deportation  of  the  popu- 
lation from  Judah,  was  an  orphan  maiden  of  Benjamin — 
Hadassah,  '*'  the  myrtle,"  known  afterwards  as  Esther, 
"the  star,'^  perhaps  Yenus.  She  must  have  been  very 
young,  for  maidens  in  Persia  are  in  their  glory  at  twelve, 
and  fade  by  the  age  of  twenty."  Her  cousin,  Mordecai, 
who  treated  her  as  his  own  child,  filled  some  office  in  the 
the  palace,  and,  seeing  her  beauty,  resolved  to  advance 
the  interests  of  his  race  by  getting  for  her,  if  possible, 
the  place  formerly  held  by  Vashti.  Introduced  to  the 
eunuchs  of  the  harem,  Esther  spent  the  usual  time  of 
preparation  for  seeing  the  king — a  year — in  the  customary 
training  and  care  of  her  personal  charms.^ 

In  B.C.  479,"^  the  year  in  which  the  defeats  of  Plat^ea 
and  Mycale  frightened  the  Persians  from  Ionia,  Esther's 

1  Herod.,  v.  18.  '  Justi,  p.  125. 

»  Esther  ii.  1-14  *  Justi  says  B.C.  478, 


452  QUEEN    ESTHER. 

time  came  to  appear  before  Xerxes,  and  tlie  result  was 
love  at  first  sight.  Adopted  as  his  favourite,  the  royal 
crown  was  set  on  her  head,  and  she  was  raised  to  the 
position  among  the  royal  wives  formerly  held  by  Vashti. 
She  had  not,  as  yet,  made  known  her  race  or  family, 
and  was  afraid  to  do  so,  but  a  fortunate  incident  soon 
made  her  position  secure.  A  conspiracy  of  two  palace 
officials  to  murder  Xerxes  came  to  the  knowledge  of 
Mordecai,  whose  duties  gave  him  a  place  in  a  chamber 
of  the  palace  known  as  the  king's  gate.  Telling  the 
momentous  secret  to  Esther,  she  warned  the  king,  and 
thus  saved  his  life,  the  criminals  being  hanged. 

There  was  still  danger,  however,  to  both  Esther  and 
her  cousin,  from  another  quarter.  Among  the  dignitaries 
at  the  court  of  Susa  was  one  Haman,  according  to  Jewish, 
tradition  an  Agagite — that  is,  of  the  royal  race  of  the 
Amalekites^ — the  bitterest  enemies  of  the  Jews.^  He 
held  the  great  post  of  Grand  Vizier,  or  First  Minister 
of  the  empire,  but  he  had  a  secret  trouble  which  fretted 
him,  even  in  so  grand  a  position.  From  some  reason, — 
probably  Haman^s  nationality,  or,  perhaps,  because  to 
cast  himself  on  the  earth  before  him  seemed  like  paying 
Divine  honour  to  a  mortal, — Mordecai  refused  to  pay  that 
honour  to  the  haughty  magnate  as  he  entered  and  left 
the  palace.  This  affront  was  so  bitterly  resented,  that 
nothing  would  satisfy  the  Vizier's  fury  but  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  the  race  to  which  his  enemy  belonged.    At  one 

1  Esther  ill.  1.    iN'um.  xxiv.  7.     1  Sam.  xv.     Jos.,  Ant^Xl.  vi.  6. 

2  In  the  Greek  version  he  is  called  in  one  place  a  Macedonian 
(Esther  i.  19 ;  ix.  24)  the  Syrian  Greeks  being  the  deadly  enemies 
of  the  Jews  when  that  version  was  made.  The  name  Agagite 
may  thus  only  mean  hater  of  the  Jews.  Elsewhere  in  the  same 
version  he  is  called  Bugaeas  (ix.  10),  and  Gogaeus  (iii.  1),  names 
which  are  not  readily  explained.  The  names  "  Haman "  and 
"  Hammedatha,"  seem  to  be  Persian. 


QUEEN    ESTHER.  453 

sweep  he  would  avenge  Lis  own  personal  grudge,  and 
quench  the  hereditary  feud  of  his  race  in  the  blood  of 
the  whole  brood  of  the  hated  race  of  Jews.  Insinuat- 
ing to  Xerxes  that  they  were  dangerous,  as  a  people  who, 
unlike  the  other  subject  races  of  the  empire,  insisted  on 
observing  their  own  laws  rather  than  those  of  the  king, 
and  thus  formed  a  ready  centre  for  revolt,  he  obtained 
leave  to  arrange  for  their  massacre  everywhere  throughout 
the  empire,  recommending  his  proposal  by  promising  a 
vast  sum  ^  to  the  treasury  from  their  wealth.-  Fear  and 
greed  easily  won  the  despot  to  the  plot.  The  proposed 
victims  and  their  property  were  made  over  to  Haman; 
as  if  the  slaughter  and  pillage  of  a  people  were  a  matter 
to  be  settled  by  a  light  word.  To  arm  him  with  the 
requisite  authority,  he  was  forthwith  entrusted  with  the 
royal  signet  ring,^  all  commands  sealed  with  which  car- 
ried the  weight  of  imperial  orders.  Lots,  drawn  daily  by 
Haman  to  find  a  fortunate  date  for  the  massacre,  fell  on 
the  13th  of  the  month  Adar — nearly  our  March.  Royal 
posts  had  been  established  throughout  the  empire  by 
Cyrus  the  Great — fresh  riders  hurrying  along  all  the 
chief  roads,  and  changing  horses  every  fourteen  miles.^ 

1  Esther  hi.  9. 

2  Prideaux,  Connection,  p.  453,  says  it  was  equal  to  £2,000,000, 
a  huge  sum  in  those  days.  Bertheau  thinks  it  was  equal  to 
nearly  £4,000,000.     Das  B.  Ester,  p.  321. 

^  The  absolute  despotism  of  the  Persian  kings  is  well  shown  in 
the  foUowini;  lines  : — "  The  will  of  the  ruler  is  the  will  of  the  god- 
head." "  Well  spoken !  The  true  Persian  rejoices  to  be  allowed 
to  kiss  the  hand  of  his  ruler,  even  if  it  be  stained  with  his  child's 
blood."  "  Cambyses  has  put  my  brother  to  death,  but  I  murmur 
at  him  for  it  no  more  than  I  did  at  the  godhead,  who  took  my 
parents  from  me."  Ebers,  JEgypt  Kunigstoclifer,  vol.  ii.  p.  122. 
^schylus  {Pers.,  644),  calls  the  Great  King  "  Persius  Susa-born 
God." 

*  4  parasangs.    Bertheau.    The  Persian  caravanserais,  or  guest- 


454  QUEEN   ESTHER. 

A  decree  having  been  drawn  up  by  Haman  to  his  own 
satisfaction,  the  government  clerks  soon  furnished  copies 
enough  for  the  chief  functionaries  of  the  provinces,  and 
with  these  the  posts  flew  along  every  line  of  travel.  All 
the  Jews  were  to  be  killed  throughout  the  empire  on  the 
day  named,  and  their  property  seized  for  the  king. 

But  Mordecai  was  destined  to  counteract  this  deadly 
plot.  Having  heard  of  it,  he  forsook  his  office  in  the 
king^s  gate,  and  clothing  himself  in  sackcloth — his 
head  strewn  with  ashes — stood  in  a  public  place  in 
the  city,  wailing  aloud,  and  spreading  the  news  among 
his  people.  Lamentation  and  misery  soon  filled  every 
Jewish  household,  far  and  near.  In  Susa,  itself,  the 
community  was  distracted.  The  only  hope  for  the  race 
lay  in  Esther.  Could  she  venture  into  the  presence  of 
the  Great  King,  and  tell  the  whole  story  ?  To  go  into 
his  inner  hall,  uninvited,  was  death,  unless  he  stretched 
out  his  golden  sceptre  to  the  intruder.  She  had  not 
as  yet  revealed  her  nationality,  but  it  must  now  be 
disclosed.  Mordecai  had  told  her,  through  one  of  her 
eunuchs,  of  Haman's  perfidy.  Would  she  risk  all,  to 
save  them  ?  Her  answer  became  a  high-souled  Jewish 
maiden.  If  her  people  in  Susa  would  fast  for  three 
days,  praying  for  her,  she  would  do  the  same  for  herself, 
and  afterwards  venture  her  life  for  her  race. 

houses  for  travellers,  which  were  like  our  post-stations,  owed 
their  origin  to  tbe  great  Cyrus,  who  sought  to  abridge  the  vast 
distances  of  his  world-wide  empire  by  well  kept  roads.  He  had 
also  established  a  regular  system  of  posts.  At  every  station,  the 
postman  carrying  the  mails  found  a  second  ready  to  start  on  a 
fresh  horse,  on  which,  after  receiving  the  mail-bag,  he  sprang 
forward  like  the  wind,  to  hand  his  charge  to  a  third  postman  at 
the  next  station.  These  couriers  were  called  Angaroi,  and  were 
believed  to  be  the  swiftest  riders  in  the  world.  Ebers,  ^g. 
Eonigstochter,  vol.  ii.  p.  6.,    Eobinson,  Lex.  s.  v.  dyyap€va). 


QUEEN    ESTHER.  455 

Success  attended  sucli  self-devotion.  Xerxes  received 
Esther  graciously.  He  would  give  her  anything  she 
wished,  to  the  half  of  his  kingdom.^  But  all  she  asked 
was,  that  he  and  Haman  should  come  and  drink  wine 
with  her.  Her  heart  failed  her,  however,  when  they  came, 
and  she  had  to  invite  them  to  a  second  banquet  next  day. 
That  he  should  be  thus  honoured  seemed  to  Haman  to 
brim  the  cup  of  his  prosperity.  The  wealth  to  be  got 
from  the  massacre  was  immense ;  he  had  ten  sons  and  he 
was  Grand  Vizier  of  the  empire  !  Above  all,  he  had  been 
invited  by  Esther,  the  queen,  to  come,  with  Xerxes  him- 
self, to  a  banquet  given  to  the  two  only.  Yet  all  this 
was  nothing  while  Mordecai  refused  to  bow  before  him. 

"  Let  a  huge  gallows  be  made — seventy  feet  high,'' 
cried  Zeresh,  his  wife,  and  a  group  of  his  friends,  ^'  and 
ask  Xerxes  to-morrow  for  leave  to  hang  the  Jew  on  it." 
Not  falling  down  before  the  representative  of  the  Great 
King,  was  treason  to  the  sovereign  himself  1 

But  his  pride  was  near  its  fall.  Through  the  night, 
Xerxes  could  not  sleep.  Thoughts  of  his  escape  from 
assassination  by  the  two  chamberlains  troubled  him. 
The  annals  of  the  empire  must  be  brought,  to  recall  the 
details.  "What  had  been  done  for  Mordecai,  who  had 
saved  his  life  ?  Nothing.  Almost  at  the  moment  when 
this  was  discovered,  Haman  entered  the  outer  hall 
and  asked  an  audience,  hoping  to  get  permission  to 
hang  his  enemy.  Allowed  to  enter,  he  was  met,  as  he 
approached,  by  the  question  of  Xerxes.  "What  should  be 
done  to  the  man  whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honour  ?" 
Naturally  thinking  the  question  referred  to  himself,  the 
answer  was  easy.  "  Let  a  robe  of  state,  which  the  king 
has  himself  worn,  be  brought,  and  a  horse  on  which  the 
king  has  ridden,  with  its  royal  trappings,  especially  the 
>  Mark  vi.  23. 


456  QUEEN    ESTHER. 

head  ornaraent  of  a  royal  crown  which  the  king's  charger 
bears/  and  let  one  of  the  noblest  princes  put  the  robe  on 
the  fortunate  man,  and  having  set  him  on  the  horse,  lead 
him  through  Susa,  crying  aloud,  '  Thus  shall  it  be  done 
to  the  man  whom  the  king  delights  to  honour  ?'  ^* 

What  this  meant  in  a  court  like  that  of  Persia  is  hard 
for  us  to  realize.  The  golden  ornaments,  the  robe  of 
state,  and  the  rest  of  the  attire  of  Artaxerxes,  the  suc- 
cessor of  Xerxes,  were  worth  10,000  talents,  a  sum  only 
to  be  understood  as  millions  of  pounds  sterling.^  The 
royal  dress  of  Xerxes  himself  was  reckoned  by  the  Greeks 
as  "worth  12,000  talents,  and  this  seems  not  to  have  been 
an  excessive  valuation,  when  we  read  the  details  of  the 
dress  of  a  Shah  of  Persia  even  in  the  present  century. 
"  He  was  one  blaze  of  jewels/'  says  Sir  Robert  Ker 
Porter,^  "  which  literally  dazzled  the  eyes.  A  high  three- 
fold tiara  was  on  his  head,  entirely  covered  with  dia- 
monds, pearls,  rubies,  and  emeralds,  so  arranged  that 
they  reflected  a  splendid  play  of  colours.  Several  black 
feathers,  apparently  of  the  heron,  were  stuck  amidst  the 
rows  of  diamonds,  their  tips  ornamented  with  pear-shaped 
pearls  of  extraordinary  size.  His  robe  was  of  cloth  of 
gold,  covered,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  same  way,  with 
precious  stones  and  pearls,  and  a  string  of  pearls,  per- 
haps the  largest  in  the  world,  hung  round  his  neck. 
But  his  armlets  and  girdle  surpassed  all,  for  they  blazed 
in  the  sun,  like  fire.  The  right  armlet  was  called  '  the 
Mountain  of  Light,'  the  left,  '  the  Sea  of  Light,'  so 
magnificent  were  the  diamonds  in  it." 

In  splendour  like  this,  Mordecai,  set  on  the  king's 
charger  by  Haman,   rode  through  the  streets   of  Susa; 

1  Esth.  vi.  8. 

2  From  four  to  five  millions.     Plut.,  Artaxerxes,  24. 

3  Travels  (in  the  years  1817-1820),  quoted  by  JustL  p.  124. 


QUEEN    ESTHER.  457 

the  humbled  Agagite  proclaiming  before  his  enemy  the 
royal  pleasure  that  such  honour  should  be  paid  him. 
The  Vizier  felt  that  he  was  ruined.  At  the  banquet  of 
wine,  next  day,  matters  came  to  a  crisis.  Esther  openly 
accused  Haman,  before  the  king,  of  a  plot  to  destroy 
her  and  all  her  race.  Had  she  and  they  been  sold  as 
slaves,  she  said,  she  would  not  have  spoken,  for  such 
an  injury  was  not  groat  enough  to  disturb  the  king  by 
mentioning.^  But  the  whole  race,  including  herself, 
was  to  be  exterminated.  Furious  at  the  disclosure, 
Xerxes  rose  and  passed  into  the  palace  garden.  Mean- 
while, Hamau,  in  his  despair,  threw  himself  at  the  foot 
of  the  couch,  begging  his  life.  But  this  only  hastened 
his  destruction.  Caught  in  this  attitude  by  the  infuriated 
despot,  the  worst  motives  were  not  too  bad  to  attribute 
to  him.  An  order  for  his  execution  was  instantly  given, 
and  forthwith,  as  a  sign  of  his  condemnation,  the  guards 
in  attendance  covered  the  victim^s  head.  A  few  minutes 
more,  and  he  was  hanging  from  the  gallows  he  had 
prepared  for  Mordecai,  who  was  now  made  Grand  Vizier 
in  his  place. 

It  was  imperative  instantly  to  counteract  the  decree 
sent  out  by  the  hapless  man.  Since  it  could  not  be  re- 
voked, orders  were  despatched  to  every  part,  that  the 
Jews  should  stand  on  the  defensive,  at  the  time  of  their 
projected  massacre.  A  civil  war  thus  broke  out  on  the 
fatal  day,  but  the  Jews  were  victorious ;  75,000  of  their 
assailants  falling  throughout  the  empire,  besides  500  in 
Susa  alone.  Among  these  were  the  ten  sons  of  Haman.- 
No  attempt  at  plunder  was,  however,  anywhere  made  by 
the  victors. 

But  even  this  revenge  hardly  satisfied  Esther.  An- 
other day's  slaughter  in  Susa,  in  which  300  men  fell, 
^  Esth.  vii.  4.  «  Esth.  ix.  12. 


458  QUEEN    ESTHER. 

was  granted,  before  she  felt  at  ease  ;  and  the  bodies  of 
Haman'^s  sons,  were,  at  her  request,  bung  on  the  gallows 
from  which  their  father  was  still  suspended.  It  would 
have  been  well  for  her  memory  had  she  been  more  mer- 
ciful. 

That  the  13th  Adar,  on  which  the  deliverance  was 
achieved,  and  the  14th,  on  which  Haman's  party  in 
Susa  was  finally  crushed,  should  be  kept  as  a  double 
festivity,  was  natural,  and  they  have  been  thus  observed 
from  that  time  to  this.  Even  in  the  text  of  the  Bible, 
moreover,  the  hatred  of  Ham  an  by  the  Jew  is  curiously 
shown,  in  the  fact  that  the  names  of  his  ten  sons  are 
written  in  perpendicular  columns,  as  if  to  show  that 
they  were  hung  one  over  the  other  on  their  father's 
gallows.^ 

Nine  years  later,  in  the  year  B.C.  465,  Xerxes  was 
murdered  by  the  commandant  of  his  bodyguard  and  one 
of  his  chamberlains,  both  foreigners,  and  specially  trusted 
as  such ;  ^  his  son  Artaxerxes,^  *'  the  long-armed,^'  suc- 
ceeding him  in  the  empire — a  mild  weak  man,  controlled 
by  his  mother  and  his  sister  Amytis,  both  women  of  a 
frivolous  nature.  The  murderers  of  his  father  accused 
his  brother  Darius,  to  screen  themselves,  and  the  innocent 
blood  of  the  prince  stained  the  new  king's  accession, 
but  the  assassins  did  not  permanently  escape  detection 
and  punishment. 

Over  seventy  years  had  elapsed  from  the  date  of  the 
Return  to  the  death  of  Xerxes.  Zerubbabel  had  died — 
possibly  in  Babylon,  where,  according  to  Jewish  tradi- 
tion, he  was  honoured  as  "  Prince  of  the   Captivity.''  * 

^  For  the  mode  in  which  the  feast  of  Purim  (the  Lots)  is  now 
kept.,  see  Geikie's  Life  and  Wo7'ds  of  Christ,  vol.  i.  p.  225. 
2  JusH,  p.  124.  ^  B.C.  465-425. 

"*  Seder  01am,  Ewald,  vol.  v.  p.  188.  Derembourgy  vol.  xx.  p.  21. 


QUEEN    ESTHER.  459 

His  descent  from  David  seems  to  have  been  made  a 
pretext  by  tbe  enemies  of  the  Jews  at  the  Persian  court 
for  continuous  agitation  against  the  enlarging  of  Jeru- 
salem, on  the  ground  that  a  revolt  might  follow,  to  make 
Zerubbabol  actual  king.  It  may  be  that  this  led  to 
his  return  to  Susa ;  but  whether  he  died  in  Judea  or  in 
Persia,  he  left  behind  a  daughter  and  two  sons,  whose 
descendants  may  be  traced  as  honourable  members  of 
the  community  for  five  generations.^  The  glory  of  the 
House  of  David  sank,  however,  finally  in  his  person ; 
its  members,  henceforth,  living  on  in  obscurity.  Joshua, 
the  high  priest,  who  seems  to  have  been  in  some  measure 
the  rival  of  his  civilian  colleague,  apparently  succeeded 
him  as  the  titular  head  of  the  Jewish  colony;  but, 
resembling  Zerubbabel  in  having  little  force  of  charac- 
ter, like  him,  he  failed  to  impress  his  influence  on 
the  age.  The  nominal  rule  in  Jerusalem  appears  to  have 
been  left  in  his  hands,  with  the  nobles  and  elders  as  his 
councillors;  but  the  real  authority  remained  with  the 
Persian  governor^  of  the  district,  who,  either  person- 
ally or  by  his  deputy,  took  up  his  residence  from  time  to 
time  in  the  tower  or  castle  Baris,  which  stood  at  the 
edge  of  the  Temple  precincts,  and  thus  overawed  both 
temple  and  town. 

The  harsh  rejection  of  the  Samaritan  overtures  to  aid 
in  rebuilding  the  Temple,  had  borne  bitter  fruit.  The 
struggle  had  ended  in  the  triumph  of  the  Jewish  colony, 
so  far  as  the  sanctuary  itself  was  concerned;  but  tho 
decrees  of  Cyrus  and  Darius  had  not  included  permission 
to  restore  or  fortify  Jerusalem.  A  constant  opportunity 
for  intrigue  at  the  Persian  courts  was  thus  always  ready 
to  the   Samaritans,  Idumeans,    and   others,  whose   ani- 

^  Ewald,  vol.  v.  p.  122.     Ch'aetz,  vol.  ii.  pp.  2,  115. 
«  Neh.  vii.  5 ;  v.  15. 


460  QUEEN    ESTHEE. 

mosity  to  tlie  Jews  grew  continually  more  embittered. 
An  illustration  of  this  yet  survives/  in  a  letter  to  the 
court  of  Susa,  written  during  the  reign  of  Artaxerxes,  by 
the  Persian  officials  of  Samaria,  in  their  own  name  and 
in  that  of  their  subjects.  Similar  communications  had 
been  forwarded  during  this  and  the  preceding  reign, 
but  the  result  in  their  case  is  not  stated.^  In  the 
one  quoted,  two  Persian  dignitaries — Eehum,  the  king's 
councillor,  and  his  secretary,  write  in  behalf  of  the 
descendants  of  the  heathen  settlers  brought  to  the 
country  by  Asnapper — perhaps  the  general  of  Esarhad- 
don,  or  possibly  another  name  for  that  monarch,  him- 
self.^ They  complain  that  the  Jews  were  rebuilding  the 
city  and  walls  of  Jerusalem,  with  a  view  to  refusing 
tribute,  and  revolting  from  the  Great  King.  Such  a 
document  was  well  fitted  to  disturb  a  court  so  familiar 
with  rebellions,  especially  in  the  past  history  of  the  Jews, 
and  caused  the  immediate  prohibition  of  all  further  work, 
at  least  on  the  fortifications.* 

Still  the  new  community  made  some  progress.  Houses, 
better  and  worse,  were  raised;  the  high  priest  lived  in 
a  mansion  suitable  to  his  dignity,  within  the  Temple 
precincts;^  trade  increased ;  a  larger  population  circulated 
through  the  half  restored  streets.  Ebers,  in  one  of  his 
charming  books,  introduces  a  Jew  as  buying  horses  in 
Egypt  for  Zerubbabel;^  Phenician  fishermen  had  stalls  in 

^  Ezra  iv.  7,  23.  This  fragment  is  clearly  inserted  out  of  its 
place.     All  critics  agree  in  this. 

2  Ezra  iv.  6.  The  chronicler  states  that  the  copy  of  the  letter 
seen  by  him  was  written  with  Aramaic  letters,  and  translated 
into  Aramaic;  the  Jewish  community  using  the  Hebrew.  Ezra 
iv.  6,  mentions  a  letter  written  in  the  reign  of  Xerxes ;  ver.  7 
one  written  in  that  of  Artaxerxes  ;  and  ver.  8,  a  third. 

3  See  vol.  iv.  pp.  239  ff.       *  Between  B.C.  465  and  u.c.  459. 

'  Neh.  vii.  5;  v.  15.  *  ^gypt.  Konigstochter,  vol.  i.  p.  15. 


QUEEN    ESTHER,  461 

Jerusalem  for  their  catcli,  and  traders  from  Tyre,  booths 
for  their  wares.^  The  guilds  of  the  goldsmiths  and  of 
the  apothecaries  were  re-established;-  carpenters  and 
locksmiths  had  their  workshops ;  ^  masons,  of  course, 
were  a  numerous  craft,  and  other  traders  of  various  kinds 
found  occupation  *  The  country  round,  moreover,  was 
well  cultivated,  and  supplied  the  market  with  ass-loads  of 
wine,  grapes,  figs,  grain,  and  other  growth  of  the  field 
or  garden.^ 

The  spirits  of  the  colony  were,  however,  far  from 
hopeful.  They  had  expected  a  vast  influx  of  their 
brethren,  from  Babylon  and  other  lands,  but  had  been 
to  a  great  extent  disappointed.  There  was  no  sign,  as 
yet,  of  the  wealth  of  the  Gentiles  being  poured  into  their 
treasuries,  as  had  been  been  promised  by  Haggai.^  On 
the  contrary,  the  walls  of  their  city  lay  in  ruins,  and 
the  rubbish  of  the  houses  destroyed  by  Nebuchadnezzar 
more  than  a  hundred  years  before,  still  rose  in  long- 
stretching  mounds.  Their  subjection  to  Persia  forced 
itself  on  the  citizens  at  every  turn.  The  tribute  im- 
posed on  them  was  a  heavy  burden  to  a  poor  community. 
In  addition  to  this,  the  establishments  of  the  Persian 
governors  were  maintained  by  requisitions  of  bread, 
wine,  and  money,  from  town  and  country,  and  even 
subordinates  and  their  servants  lorded  it  over  the  people 
at  largeJ  Jewish  recruits  had  doubtless  been  forced 
into  the  Persian  armies,  for  all  the  nations  of  the  empire 
had  to  contribute  their  proportion  to  the  vast  hosts  of 
the  Great  King.  Cambyses  and  Xerxes  had  both  invaded 
Egypt,^  passing  through  Palestine,  and  the  invasion  must 
have  seriously  affected  Judah.     The  Jewish  colony  had 

1  Neh.  xiii.  15.  ^  ;t^eh.  iii.  8,  31,  32.  3  Neh.  iii.  6. 

4  Neh.  iii.  32,  «  Neh.  xiii.  15.  «  Hagg.  ii.  7. 

?  Neh.  V.  15.  «  B.C.  525,  B.C.  484. 


462  QUEEN    ESTHER. 

hoped  for  great  things  from  Zerubbabel,  as  a  descendant 
of  David,  but  he  had  done  little  to  help  them,  and 
with  his  death,  the  long  honoured  royal  line  had  sunk 
out  of  sight.  Phenicia  had  risen,  while  they  continued 
prostrate,  and  boasted  its  kings,^  as,  indeed,  did  even  the 
cities  of  Philistia.^  Damascus  was  the  seat  of  a  Persian 
official,  superior  to  the  local  governor  set  over  Judah. 
All  the  ancient  enemies  of  the  nation  seemed  to  prosper, 
while  Jerusalem  was  still  partly  in  ruins. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  prophet  Zechariah, 
now  an  old  man,  once  more  came  forward  to  cheer  his 
contemporaries.  His  style  of  address  had  changed  with 
the  altered  state  of  affairs.  Lands  which  belonged  to 
Israel  by  Divine  covenant,  ^  and  over  which  David  and 
Solomon  had  ruled,  were  held  by  the  alien.*  The  seer 
cared  little  for  the  regions  not  promised  in  the  Law,  and 
leaves  them  unnoticed.^  Judah  would  see  the  judgments 
of  God  on  the  nations  who  held  her  ancient  boundaries, 
and  they  would  be  taught,  in  the  end,  to  seek  Jehovah, 
whom  they  had  so  long  offended. 

I  The  utterance  of  Jehovah,^— he  says — has  gone  forth  against 
Hadrach,  near  Damascus,  and  will  rest  on  Damascus ;  for 
Jehovah  has  His  eyes  on  all  men,  and  also  on  the  children  of 
Israel,  2  and  on  Hamath  also,  at  the  Orontes,  and  on  Tyre  and 
Sidon— wise  though  she  think  herself.  3  Tyre,  indeed,  bnilb 
herself  a  fortress  and  heaped  up  silver  like  dust,  and  gold  like 
the  mire  of  the  streets.  4  But  Jehovah  will  impoverish  her,  and 
smite  her  sea-power,  and  burn  her  with  fire.  5  Askelon  will  see 
this  and  fear;  Gaza  also,  and  will  writhe  in  terror;  Ekron  will 
behold  it  and  her  hopes  be  put  to  shame.  And  its  king  will 
perish  from  Gaza,  and  Askelon  will  be  uninhabited.    6  A  nioi.grel 


1  Herod.,  viii.  67.  ^  Zech.  ix.  5. 

3  Gen.  XV.  18.     Exod.  xxiii.  31.     Num.  xxxiv.  1-12. 

*  Syria,  Phenicia,  and  Philistia. 

5  Edom,  Moab,  Ammon.     Deut.  ii.  4,  5,  9, 19.      "  Zsch.  ix.  1-8. 


QUEEN    ESTHEE.  463 

people  will  dwell  at  Ashdod,  and  Jehovah  will  cut  off  the  pride 
of  the  Philistines.  7  They  eat  the  blood  with  the  flesh — but  He 
will  take  it  out  of  their  mouth,  and  their  unclean  abominations 
from  between  their  teeth.  Yet  the  remnant  that  escapes  these 
judgments  will  join  tbemselves  to  Him,  and  the  head  of  this 
remnant  will  be  like  the  chief  of  a  "  thousand  "  ^  in  Judah,  and 
Ekron,  will  be  to  Israel  as  the  old  Jebusites  were  to  the  people 
of  Jerusalem — incorporated  with  them  and  subject  to  them.^ 
8  And  I  (says  Jehovah)  will  pitch  a  camp  round  My  House, 
against  hostile  attacks,  that  none  pass  through  or  return  to  in- 
jure it;  no  oppressor  will  assail  it^  any  more,  for  I  have  now 
looked  into  it  with  Mine  eyes. 

Not  only  will  Jehovah  protect  His  House ;  He  will 
cause  the  Messianic  king  to  appear  in  Jerusalem,  and 
thence  spread  the  reign  of  Peace  over  the  world. 

9  Kejoice  greatly,  0  daughter  of  Zion;'*  shout,  0  daughter  of 
Jerusalem;  behold,  thy  king  will  come  to  thee:  he  is  righteous 
and  brings  salvation ;  lowly,  and  riding  on  an  ass,  on  a  colb  the 
foal  of  a  she-ass.^  10  And  I  will  destroy  all  signs  of  war — the 
chariot  from  Ephrairn  and  the  horse  from  Jerusalem,  and  the 
war-bow  shall  be  destroyed ;  and  he  will  speak  peace  to  the 
nations,  and  his  dominion  will  be  from  sea  to  sea  ^— and  from 
the  river  Euphrates  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

Israel  will  be  delivered  ont  of  bondage  in  all  lands, 
and  will  be  victorious  over  the  heathen. 

1 1  As  to  thee  also,  O  Israel ;  '  because  of  the  blood  of  thy 
covenant  made  by  Me  with  thee,  I  will  bring  thy  captives  from 

*  A  clan,  or  subdivision  of  a  tribe. 

2  2  Sam.  xxiv.  16.     1  Chron.  xxi.  15. 

3  Lit.,  "  them."  ■*  Zech.  ix.  9, 10. 

5  Bovet's  Egypt,  etc.,  p.  273.  The  Rabbis,  commenting  on  this 
text,  say  that  the  ass  will  be  one  of  a  hundred  colours.  Barclay's 
Talmud,  p.  36. 

^  An  indefinite  expression.  The  seas  known  to  the  Hebrews 
(see  vol.  i.  p.  242),  were  the  Caspian,  the  Persian  Gulf,  the  Black 
Sea,  and  the  Mediterranean,  '  Zech.  ix.  11-17. 


464  QUEEN    ESTHER. 

their  dungeon  in  the  dry  underground  cistern.  12  Turn  back 
to  the  stronghold,  ye  prisoners  of  hope  !  Even  to-day  I  declare 
that  1  will  repay  thee  double  joy,  for  all  your  sorrow,  13  for  1 
will  bend  Judah  for  Me  as  a  bow,  I  will  make  Ephraim  My  arrow 
with  which  to  fill  it,  and  I  will  raise  up  thy  sons,  0  Zion,  against 
thy  sons,  O  Greece,  ^  and  make  thee  as  the  sword  of  a  mighty 
warrior.  14  And  Jehovah  will  appear  over  them,  and  His  arrow 
will  shoot  fofth  like  the  lightning,  and  the  Lord  Jehovah  will  blow 
the  trumpet,  and  will  march  amidst  the  storms  of  the  south,  ^ 
from  the  desert.  15  Jehovah  of  Hosts  will  protect  His  people, 
and  they  will  devour  their  enemies  before  them,  and  tread  them 
down  like  stones  for  the  sling,  and  they  will  drink  the  blood  of 
the  slain  till  they  shout  as  if  drunk  with  wine,  and  they  shall  be 
filled  with  blood  as  the  bowls  of  the  altar,  or  as  its  corners,  on 
which  the  blood  is  sprinkled.  16  And  Jehovah,  their  God,  will 
save  His  people  on  that  day,  as  a  shepherd  saves  his  flock,  for 
they  are  to  Him  like  jewels  of  a  crown,  glittering  over  His  land! 
17  For  how  great  is  their  goodliness,  how  great  is  their  beauty, 
through  the  blessing  of  Jehovah !  Rich  harvests  of  corn  will 
make  the  young  men  cheerful,^  and  new  wine  the  maidens. 

God  is  the  one  source  of  prosperity ;  the  idols  are 
vanity  :  He  will  save  His  people  in  all  their  tribes. 

1  Pray  to  Jehovah  ^  for  rain  in  the  spring  time !  Pray  to  Je- 
hovah who  creates  the  lightnings,  and  He  will  give  rich  showers, 
and  grass  in  every  one's  field.  2  For  the  teraphim  " — the  house- 
gods — have  spoken  vanity,  and  the  diviners  have  lying  visions 
and  tell  false  dreams,  and  give  no  comfort.  Hence  the  people 
went  astray  like  a  flock,  and  were  in  trouble,  because  there  was 
no  shepherd.  3  My  anger  is  kindled  against  the  shepherds,  and 
I  will  punish  the  bell-goats,^  for  Jehovah  of  Hosts  cares  for  His 
flock,  the  House  of  Judah,  and  makes  it  like  His  goodly  horse 

^  Heb.  "  Javan  "  =  Ionia. 

2  The  most  terrible  tempests  (Isa.  xxi.  1 ;  Ho«.  xiii.  15)  often 
accompanied  with  dreadful  sand  whirlwinds,  like  those  that  over- 
whelmed part  of  the  army  of  Cambyses. 

3  "  Flourish,"  Keil  ^  Zech.  x. 

*  See  illustration,  p.  418.  «  Yol.  iv.  p.  427  ;  vol.  v.  p.  401. 


QUEEN    ESTHER.  465 

in  the  battle.  4  Out  of  Judah  shall  come  forth  the  corner  stone, 
out  of  him  the  tent  peg,  out  of  him  the  battle-bow,  out  of  Him 
every  governor.^  5  And  the  men  of  Judah  shall  be  as  heroes, 
treading  down  the  enemy  in  the  battle,  like  the  mire  of  the  streets, 
and  they  will  fight,  because  Jehovah  is  with  them,  and  the  riders 
on  horses  will  be  put  to  shame.-  6  And  I  will  make  the  House 
of  Judah  strong,  and  I  will  save  the  House  of  Joseph,  and  make 
them  dwell  once  more  (in  their  own  land),  for  I  have  had  pity  on 
them,  and  they  shall  be  as  if  I  had  not  cast  them  off,  for  I  am 
Jehovah  their  God  and  will  hear  them.  7  And  Ephraira  will  be 
like  a  mighty  man,  and  his  heart  will  rejoice  as  with  wine,  and 
his  children  will  see  it  and  be  glad;  their  heart  will  rejoice  in 
Jehovah.  8  I  will  hiss  for  them,  (as  a  bee-master  hisses  to  draw 
to  him  a  swarm),  and  will  gather  them,  and  they  shall  be  as  nu- 
merous again  as  of  old.  9  I  have  sown  them  among  the  peoples, 
but  they  will  remember  Me  in  far  countries,  and  return  with  their 
children  with  whom  they  have  lived.  10  And  I  will  bring  them 
back  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  gather  them  out  of  Assyria,' 
and  I  will  bring  them  into  the  land  of  Gilead  and  Lebanon  till 
room  be  wanting  for  them.  11  And  Jehovah  shall  pass  through 
the  Sea  of  AfBiction  (as  through  the  Red  Sea,  of  old),  and  shall 
smite  down  the  waves  of  the  sea,  and  dry  up  the  deeps  of  the 
Nile,  and  the  pride  of  Assyria"*  will  be  brought  down,  and  the 
sceptre  of  Egypt  will  depart  from  it.  12  And  I  will  make  them 
strong  in  Jehovah,  and  they  will  walk  in  His  name,  says  Jehovah. 

Unfortunately,  the  history  of  Israel  was  not  to  realize 
the  conditions  required  by  God  for  the  fulfilment  of  these 
promises.     The  national  life  was  to  continue  corrupt  and 

'  Eichhorn  translates  these  lines  "out  of  Him  shall  come  those 
who  are  at  the  head, — the  under  leaders, — those  who  shoot  with 
the  bow  in  battle,"  etc. 

^  Moses  did  not  allow  cavalry  in  the  Jewish  army.  It  would 
have  been  of  little  use  in  a  highland  district  like  that  held  by  the 
Twelve  Tribes. 

3  Many  Jews  were  doubtless  still  in  Assyria. 

■*  Assyria  is  often  used  in  connection  with  the  Persian  kings 
of  Babylon.  In  Ezra  vi.  22,  the  king  of  Persia  is  called  the 
king  of  Assyria. 

VOL.   V.  H  H 


466  QUEEN    ESTHER. 

ungodly.  Lawless  and  tyrannical  rulers  were  still  to 
destroy  the  common  people — the  flock  of  Jehovah — and 
the  end  of  this  would  be  terrible  ruin.  Zechariah  in- 
troduces this  abruptly,  in  the  opening  of  the  eleventh 
chapter,  painting  a  catastrophe  that  was  repeated  more 
than  once,  by  the  Greeks,  Syrians,  and  Romans,  in  the 
following  centuries. 

I  Open  thy  gates,  0  Lebanon,  *  that  fire  may  devour  thy 
cedars.-  2  Howl,  0  cj^press,  for  the  cedar  is  fallen  !  the  glorious 
trees  are  destroyed !  Howl,  O  ye  oaks  of  Bashan,  for  your  fate 
is  sealed,  since  even  the  inaccessible  mountain  forests  of  Lebanon 
are  laid  low  I  3  The  loud  cries  of  the  shepherds  ascend,  for  the 
grazing  places  which  are  their  glory  are  laid  waste.  Hark!  one 
hears  the  roaring  of  young  lions,  for  the  thickets  of  Jordan,  their 
haunts,  are  destroyed.' 

The  loving  care  of  Jehovah  for  His  people,  oppressed 
by  their  rulers,  is  shown  in  His  committing  them  to  the 
care  of  the  prophet,  as  a  type  of  the  Messiah  to  come. 
He  seeks  to  guide  them  with  a  shepherd's  rod  called 
Favour,  and  lead  them  in  the  paths  of  right.  But  their 
moral  perversity  makes  him  at  last  hopeless,  so  that  he 
substitutes  a  staff  which  he  calls  Union,  the  meaning 
of  which  he  afterwards  explains.  Love  would  be  tried 
first;  punishment  would  follow,  when  love  failed  to  win 
them. 

4  Thus  spake  Jehovah,  my  God :  Feed  the  flock  doomed  to 
death,  5  whose  buyers  slaughter  them  and  feel  no  sense  of  guilt, 

1  Zech.  xi. 

2  Bleek  and  some  others  refer  this  passage  to  the  invasion  by 
Tiglath  Pileser,  and  think  the  prophecy  dates  from  the  age  of 
Ahaz.  Bat  this  idea  is  rejected  by  Ewald  and  Hit zig,  nor  is  it 
tenable,  since  the  invasion  referred  to,  though,  like  all  others,  it 
came  fiom  the  north,  did  not  waste  the  southern  Jordan  as  this 
did.     See  vol.  iv       233.  »  Vol.  ii.  p.  388. 


QUEEN    ESTHER.  467 

and  whose  sellers  say,  "Blessed  be  Jehorah,  I  am  growing  rich," 
and  whose  own  shepherds  do  not  pity  thera.  6  For  I,  (Jehovah), 
will  no  more  pity  the  inhabitants  of  the  land  (the  oppressors  of 
My  flock,  the  people  amcng  whom  it  dwells),  says  Jehovah,  but, 
lo,  I  will  give  them  up,  every  one  into  the  hand  of  his  neighbour, 
and  into  the  hand  of  his  king,  and  they  will  smite  the  land,  and 
I  will  not  save  them  out  of  their  hand. 

The  prophet  next  describes  his  feeding  of  the  flock, 
but  he  speaks,  not  for  himself,  but  for  the  Chief  Shepherd, 
hereafter  to  appear. 

7  And  I  fed  the  flock  doomed  to  death,  the  poor  of  the  flock, 
and  took  two  shepherds  staves  ;  one  I  called  Favour,  the  other  I 
called  Union.  And  I  fed  the  flock.  8  And  I  destroyed  three  of  the 
shepherds  in  one  month,'  for  My  soul  was  impatient  of  them  and 
tlieir's  abhorred  Me.  9  Then  I  said,  "  I  will  feed  you  no  longer ;  '* 
what  dies  may  die,  what  is  killed  may  be  so ;  as  to  the  survivors^ 
let  each  eat  the  flesh  of  the  other.  10  And  I  took  My  staff 
"  Favour,"  and  broke  it  across,  to  break  My  covenant  which  I  had 
made  with  all  peoples,  (not  to  injure  Israel).  11  And  it  was 
broken  across  on  the  same  day,  and  thus  the  poor  of  the  flock, 
who  marked  what  I  did,  knew  that  it  was  the  word  of  Jehovah. 

12  And  I  said  to  them  (the  flock— not  the  poor  of  it  only)  "If 
ye  think  well,  give  me  my  wages,  and  if  not,  withhold  them.    And 

*  The  three  shepherds  cut  off  in  one  month  have  been  variously 
supposed  to  be  the  kings  Zechariah,  Shallum  and  Menahem,  of 
the  Ten  Tribes  ;  the  three  kings  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  Autiochus 
Eupator,  and  Demetrius  I. ;  and  the  three  empires,  the  Babylonian, 
the  Medo-Persian,  and  Macedonian.  It  seems  impossible  to 
accept  the  first  theory,  from  the  historical  facts  of  the  case ;  and 
the  others  either  require  the  "  month  "  to  be  taken  as  a  prophetic 
month  of  thirty  days,  each  of  seven  years'  duration,  or  as  a  general 
term,  for  an  indefinite  period.  The  fact  is,  a  lucid  explanation 
seems  impossible.  Thus,  Dr.  Pusey  thinks  the  three  kings  mean 
the  "  priests,  judges,  and  lawyers,"  who,  having  crucified  Christ, 
were  destroyed  in  one  month,  Nisan,  a.d.  33.  But  how  he  makes 
this  out  is  inexplicable  to  me.  The  offices  of  priests,  judges,  and 
lawyers,  certainly  survived  the  crucifixion. 


468  QUEEN    ESTHER. 

they  weighed  out  to  me  as  my  wages,  thirty  pieces  of  silver.^ 
13  Then  said  Jehovah  to  me :  "  Cast  it  to  the  potter ;  2  it  is  a  goodly 
price  (indeed)  at  which  I  have  been  valued  by  them !  "  So  I  took 
the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  and  cast  them  to  the  potter,  in  the 
House  of  Jehovah.^ 

14  Then  I  broke  in  two  my  other  staff,  *'  Union,"  to  break  the 
brotherhood  between  Judah  and  Israel."* 

Having  driven  the  good  sheplierd,  by  its  wickedness, 
to  give  up  his  office  as  shepherd,  Israel  is  committed  to 
an  ungodly  shepherd,  who  leads  it  to  ruin.  Was  this 
the  Roman  power,  which  destroyed  the  Jewish  State, 
after  it  had  rejected  Christ  ? 

15  And  Jehovah  said  to  me,  Take  to  thee  the  outfit  of  a  worth- 
less^ shepherd,  16  for,  lo,  I  will  raise  up  a  shepherd  in  the  land, 
who  will  care  nothing  for  those  that  are  perishing,  and  will  not 
seek  the  scattered  ones,  or  heal  that  which  is  wounded,  or  feed 
that  which  is  sound,  but  will  eat  the  flesh  of  the  fat,  tearing  even 
their  feet  to  pieces.  17  Woe  to  the  worthless  shepherd,  who 
leaves  the  flock  !  The  sword  shall  come  on  his  arm,  and  pierce 
his  right  eye;  his  arm  shall  be  withered,  and  his  eye  put  out! 

The  last  part  of  the  prophecies  of  Zechariah  is  as  dark 
and  enigmatical  as  the  rest  of  the  Book,  wlii^h,  as  a 
a  whole,  illustrates  one  of  the  mysteries  of  God's  ways ; 
that   such  modes   of  conveying    His  revelations    to  His 

1  Thirty  shekels  were  the  price  of  a  slave  accidentally  killed 
(Bxod.  xxi.  32),  and  also  that  for  which  a  slave  could  be  bought 
(Hos.  iii.  2).     For  reference  to  this  passage,  see  Matt,  xxvii,  9,  10. 

2  The  Targnm,  Kimchi  and  Gesenius  read,  "the  treasurer." 
The  Peshito,  Be  Wette,  Ewald,  and  Hitzig,  read  "into  the 
treasury."  The  change  is  made  by  substituting  an  Aleph  for  a 
Yod  in  the  Heb.  word,  but  it  has  no  authority. 

3  To  "  cast  anything  to  the  potter,"  seems  to  have  been  pro- 
verbial expression  for  treating  with  contempt. 

■*  Does  this  refer  to  the  terrible  outburst  of  faction  and  civil 
war  in  the  last  days  of  the  Jewish  State? 
*  Foolish  ==  thoroughly  unworthy. 


QUEEN   ESTHET?.  469 

Church  should  have  been  adopted — modes  so  hard  to 
be  understood  even  by  the  prophets  themselves.  Heavy- 
judgments  on  Israel  are  at  last  to  purify  it  and  lead  it  to 
God.  His  people  are  then  to  triumph,  and  His  spirit 
to  be  poured  out  upon  them,  so  that  they  will  bitterly 
repent  putting  the  Messiah  to  death,  and  in  the  end  will 
purify  themselves  from  all  ungodliness. 

I  The  burden  of  the  word  of  Jehovah  •  respecting  Israel. 
Jehovah,  who  stretched  forth  the  heavens,  and  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  the  earth,  and  formed  the  spirit  of  man  within  him,  saith : 
2  Behold,  I  will  make  Jerusalem  a  cup  of  confusion  to  all  the 
peoples  round,  and  that  cup  will  be  also  for  Judah,  when 
Jerusalem  is  besieged.  3  On  that  day  I  will  make  Jerusalem  for 
all  peoples  a  stone  heavy  to  move ;  all  who  try  to  raise  it  will  be 
sore  hurt,  and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  will  be  gathered  to- 
gether against  her.  4  In  that  day,  says  Jehovah,  I  will  smite 
every  horse  with  terror,  and  his  rider  with  frenzy,  and  I  will  open 
My  eyes  on  the  Plouse  of  Judah,  and  smite  every  horse  of  the 
nations  with  blindness.  5  And  the  chiefs  of  Judah  will  say  in 
their  heart,  "  The  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  are  a  strength  to  me, 
through  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  their  God."  6  In  that  day  I  will  make 
the  chiefs  of  Judah  a  panful  of  fire  among  faggots,  and  like  a  torch 
among  sheaves,  and  they  will  consume  the  peoples  round  about, 
on  the  right  hand  and  the  left,  and  Jerusalem  shall  still  dwell  on 
her  old  bounds.  7  Jehovah,  also,  will  save  the  tents  of  Judah 
first,  that  the  glory  of  the  House  of  David  and  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem  may  not  magnify  itself  against  Judah. 

8  In  tliat  day  Jehovah  will  defend  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem, 
and  lie  that  is  feeble^  among  them,  at  that  day,  shall  be  (strong)  as 
David,  and  the  House  of  David  shall  be  as  God ;  as  the  angel  of 
Jehovah  before  them.  9  And  on  that  day  I  will  seek  to  destroy 
all  the  nations  that  come  against  Jerusalem. 

But  Jehovah  will  do  still  more  for  His  people.  He 
will  pour  out  His  Spirit  on  them,  and  lead  them  to  sincere 
repentance  for  their  guilt  in  rejecting  the  Saviour. 

1  Zech.  xii.  2  Li^^  ..  tottering." 


470  QUEEN    ESTHER. 

lo  And  I  will  pour  on  the  House  of  David  and  on  the  in- 
habitants of  Jerusalem,  the  spirit  of  grace  and  supplication,  and 
they  will  look  on  him  ^  whom  they  have  pierced,  and  they  will 
mourn  for  him  as  one  who  mourns  for  his  only  son,  and  be  in 
bitterness  for  bim,  as  one  that  weeps  bitterly  for  his  first-born. 
II  In  that  day  there  will  be  a  great  mourning  in  Jerusalem,  like 
the  mourning  at  Hadadrimmon,  in  the  valley  of  Megiddo  (where 
all  Israel  lamented  the  death  of  king  Josiah),^  12  and  the  whole 
land  will  mourn,  every  clan  apart;  the  clan  of  the  House  of 
David  apart,  and  their  wives  by  themselves;  13  the  clan  of  the 
House  of  Levi  apart,  and  their  wives  by  themselves;  the  clan  of 
Shimei^  apart,  and  their  wives  by  themselves  ;  and  all  the  clans 
besides,  every  clan  apart,  and  their  wives  by  themselves. 

This  earnest  repentance  of  Israel  v^rill  lead  to  a  hearty 
and  full  regeneration  of  the  people,  since  God  will  open 
to  them  the  fountain  of  His  grace,  to  cleanse  them  from 
sin  and  to  strengthen  them  to  a  holy  life. 

I  In  that  day  ^  a  fountain  will  be  opened  to  the  House  of  David 
and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness. 
2  On  that  day,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  I  will  root  out  the  names 
of  the  idols  from  the  land,  and  they  shall  no  more  be  remembered, 
and  I  will  also  remove  the  (false)  prophets  and  the  spirit  of 
uncleanness  from  the  land.  3  And  if  any  one  still  (pretends  to) 
prophecy,  his  father  and  his  mother,  who  begat  him,  will  say  to 
him,  "  Thou  shalt  not  live,  for  thou  speakest  a  lie  in  the  name  of 
Jehovah,  and  they  will  thrust  him  through  for  his  (pretended) 
prophesying."  4  And  in  that  day  the  (false)  prophets  will  be 
brought  to  shame,  every  one  for  his  (so-called)  prophetic  visions, 
and  they  will  no  longer  wear  a  garment  of  hair  to  deceive. 
5  But  such  a  false  prophet  will  say,  "  I  am  no  prophet,  I  am  a 
tiller  of  the  ground,  for  a  man  bought  me  as  a  slave,  in  my  youth, 
to  tend  cattle."  6  And  if  one  ask  him  "  What  are  these  wounds 
in  your  hands  ?  "     (He  will  not  own  that  they  are  the  cuttings 

1  Heb.,  "  me,"  many  MSS.  have  "  him." 

2  Yol.  V.  p.  275. 

3  The  clan  of  the  son  of  Gerson,  the  grandson  of  Levi.  Num. 
iii.  17,  18.  -»  Zech.  xiii. 


QUEEN    ESTHER.  471 

he  made  in  bis  flesh,  in  Baal  worship  and  the  Uke),  but  will  pre- 
tend that  they  are  the  marks  of  stripes  received,  when  a  child, 
from  his  parents,  who  loved  him. 

The  prophet  now  passes  to  a  new  subject — the  judg- 
ment by  which  Israel  will  at  last  be  purified  from  the 
moral  dross  still  cleaving  to  it,  and  be  made  a  holy 
people  to  Jehovah. 

7  Awake,  O  sword, ^  against  My  shepherd  (the  Messiah),  against 
the  man  who  is  My  fellow,"  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  Smite  the 
shepherd,  that  the  sheep  may  be  scattered ;  then  will  I  turn  My 
hand  towards  the  poor  (and  pious). ^  8  And  in  the  whole  land, 
says  Jehovah,  two  parts  will  be  destroyed  and  die,  but  a  third 
part  will  survive.  9  And  I  will  bring  the  third  part  into  the  fire, 
and  smelt  them  as  silver  is  smelted,  and  purify  them  as  gold  is 
purified.  They  will  call  on  My  name  and  I  will  hear  them  ;  I  will 
say,  "  They  are  My  people,"  and  they  will  say,  "  Jehovah  is  my 
God." 

I  Behold !  a  day  of  Jehovah  comes,'*  and  thy  spoil  will  be 
divided  in  the  midst  of  thee  (0  Zlon).  2  For  I  will  gather  all 
nations  against  Jernsaiem,  to  battle,  and  the  city  will  be  taken, 
the  houses  sacked,  the  women  outraged,  and  half  the  town  will 
go  forth  into  captivity,  but  the  rest  of  the  people  will  not  be  cut 
oS'from  the  city.  3  For  Jehovah  will  go  forth  and  fight  against 
these  nations,  as  He  fights  on  the  day  of  battle.  4  And  His  feet 
shall  stand  in  that  day  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  which  lies  east  of 
Jerusalem,  and  that  mount  will  split  in  the  midst,  east  and  west, 
into  a  very  great  valley,  and  half  of  it  will  move  to  the  north  and 
half  of  it  to  the  south.  5  And  ye  shall  flee  to  the  valley  of  My^ 
mountains,  for  the  valley  of  the  mountains  will  reach  to  Azel 
(close  to  Jerusalem);  ^  yea,  ye  will  flee  as  ye  fled  before  the  eanh- 
quake,  in  the  days  of  Uzziah,  king  of  Judah,  and  Jehovah,  my 
God,  will  come,  and  all  the  holy  ones  with  Him.^     6  And  on  that 


1  Zech.  xiii.  7. 

'  Or   "  neighbour."     The    word  is    thus   translated   in  nearly 
every  case  in  the  A.  Y. 

3  Hitzig.  *  Zech.  xiv. 

'  Micah  i.  11 ;  called  there  Beth-ezel.  *  So  many  MSS. 


472  QUEEN   ESTHEE. 

day  there  will  be  no  light ;  the  stars  *  will  shrink  back.^  7  But 
it  will  be  a  day  known  of  Jehovah,  neither  day  nor  night,  but  at 
the  evening  time  it  shall  be  light.  8  And  in  that  day  living 
waters  will  flow  out  from  Jerusalem,  half  of  them  to  the  East  (or 
Dead)  Sea,  half  of  them  to  the  Western  Sea  (the  Mediterranean) ; 
they  will  flow  both  in  summer  and  winter.  9  And  Jehovah  will 
be  king  over  all  the  land.  In  that  day  Jehovah  will  be  One  and 
His  name  One.  10  All  the  land  will  be  changed  and  made  like 
the  Arabah,  (the  plain  south  of  the  Dead  Sea),  from  Geba  (nine 
miles  north  of  Jerusalem)  to  Rimmon,  far  to  the  south  of  it,^  and 
Jerusalem  will  stand  high,  and  dwell  on  its  bounds,  from  the  Gate 
of  Benjamin,  on  the  north  wall,  to  the  place  of  the  first  gate — the 
Gate  of  the  Corner,  (on  the  north-west)— and  from  the  Tower  of 
Hananeel,  on  the  north-east  corner  of  the  walls,"*  to  the  king's 
winepresses,  (on  the  south  of  the  city).^  11  And  men  will  dwell 
in  it,  and  there  will  be  no  more  a  ban  on  it,  (it  will  no  more 
be  devoted  by  God  to  destruction),  and  Jerusalem  will  dwell 
securely. 

While  Israel  will  be  tlius  blest  by  God,  its  enemies 
will  be  grievously  punislied. 

12  And  this  will  be  the  plague  with  which  Jehovah  will  smite 
all  the  peoples  that  have  fought  against  Jerusalem.  Their  flesh 
shall  waste  away  while  they  stand  on  their  feet,  and  their  eyes 
waste  away  in  their  sockets,  and  their  tongues  in  their   mouth. 

13  And  in  that  day  there  will  be  a  great  confusion,  from  Je- 
hovah, among  them,  so  that  every  one  will  seize  the  hand  of  his 
neighbour,  and  lift  up  his  hand  against  his  neighbour's  hand. 

14  And  Judah  also  will  fight  at  Jerusalem,  and  the  wealth  of  all 
the  nations,  round  about,  will  be  gathered  together,  gold  and 
silver,  and  garments,  in  great  abundance.  15  And  the  plague 
(sent  from  Jehovah)  on  the  horse,  the  mule,  the  camel,  the  ass, 
and  all  the  cattle,  in  those  camps,  will  be  the  same  as  that  on 
the  men. 

^  Heb.,  "  The  precious  things." 

2  The  Sept.  reads,  "  there  shall  not  be  light,  but  cold  and  ice." 

3  Perhaps  the  ruins  "  Um  er  Rummanira,"  twelve  miles  north 
of  Beersheba.     Josh.  xv.  32 ;  xix.  7. 

'  Neh.  iii.  1.  *  Neh.  iii.  15. 


QUEEN    ESTHER.  473 

The  heathen  who  escape  these  judgments  will  ulti- 
mately turn  to  God. 

i6  And  it  will  come  to  pass,  that  every  one  left  of  all  the 
nations  who  came  up  against  Jerusalem,  will  go  up  (to  it)  from 
year  to  year,  to  worship  the  King,  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  to  keep 
the  feast  of  Tabernacles.  17  And  on  those,  of  all  the  families  of 
the  earth,  who  will  not  come  up  to  worship  the  King,  Jehovah 
of  Hosts,  there  will  be  no  rain.  18  And  if  the  people  of  Egypt 
do  not  go  up  (to  Jerusalem,  to  the  feasts),  on  them  shall  be  the 
plague,  ^  with  which  Jehovah  will  smite  the  nations  that  do  not 
come  up  to  the  feast  of  Tabernacles. 

In  that  last  time  all  Jerusalem  will  be  holy  to  Je- 
hovah. 

20  In  that  day  there  will  be  (even)  on  the  bells  of  the  horses, 
"Holy  to  Jehovah,"  and  the  very  pots  (for  cooking),  in  the  House 
of  Jehovah,  will  be  pure  as  the  sacrificial  bowls  before  the  altar. 
21  Indeed,  every  pot  in  Jerusalem  and  in  Judah  will  be  holy  to 
Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  all  who  intend  to  offer  sacrifices  will  come 
and  take  them,  and  seethe  (their  offerings  in  them — so  ceremo- 
nially clean  will  they  be).  And  in  that  day  no  Canaanite  (that  is, 
no  unworthy  worshipper)  will  enter  any  more  into  the  House  of 
Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

Such  were  some  of  the  discourses  addressed  to  the 
community  at  Jerusalem^  in  the  gloomy  years  preceding 
the  arrival  of  Ezra  from  Persia,  in  B.C.  459  or  458,  nearly 
eighty  years  after  the  Return.  Couched  in  a  highly 
figurative  style,  their  deeper  meaning  is  even  now  very 
obscure ;  but  their  strong  and  vivid  imagery  of  defeats 
and  plague  to  be  endured  by  the  enemies  of  Israel,  and 
of  the  final  glory  of  Jerusalem,  saved  at  last  from  all  its 
foes,  was  well  fitted  to  cheer  the  population  amidst  its 
long  depression. 

*  8ept. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

THE  entliusiasm  which  had  urged  so  many  of  the 
exiles  in  Babylon  to  seek  the  land  of  their  fathers 
once  more,  had  reacted  on  the  far  larger  portion  of  the 
nation,  which  stayed  behind.  The  Pilgrim  Fathers  had 
set  out,  amidst  the  profound  sympathy  of  their  less 
adventurous  brethren,  carrying  with  them  rich  proofs  of 
its  sincerity.  Idolatry  was  finally  and  absolutely  aban- 
doned in  every  Jewish  home  on  the  Euphrates,  as  one 
result  of  the  religious  fervour  of  the  time.  Family  ties 
linked  together  the  new  colony  in  Judah  and  those  who 
remained  behind,  and  led  to  a  lively  intercourse  between 
the  two  communities.  On  the  one  hand,  men  from 
Jerusalem  revisited  their  brethren  of  the  Golah  or  Dis- 
persion, telling  the  sad  trials  in  Jerusalem  and  Judah, 
and  seeking  help  from  rich  friends  in  Babylonia.^  On 
the  other,  not  a  few  journeyed  from  the  Euphrates  to  the 
Holy  City,  to  pay  vows  and  offer  gifts  on  the  spot  once 
more  consecrated  by  the  presence  of  Jehovah.  When 
Jews  in  Palestine  and  other  lands,  as  was  not  infrequent 
in  such  troubled  times,  were  seized  as  captives  or  sold  as 
slaves,  their  brethren  of  the  Golah  spared  no  efforts  or 
sacrifices  to  redeem  or  deliver  them.^  Prosperous,  and 
'  Neh.  i.  2.  2  Neh.  v.  8. 

474 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  475 

able  to  help  their  motherland,  these  foreign  Hebrews 
were  proud  to  do  so.  Since  Susa  had  become  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Persian  kings,  and  Babylon  had  thus  lost 
its  importance,  many  Jews  had  followed  the  court,  and 
founded  new  colonies  in  the  eastern  provinces,  where 
numbers  grew  rich,  and  some,  like  Daniel  in  earlier  days, 
gained  official  positions  under  the  Great  King. 

The  reaction  from  their  former  heathen  tendencies  was 
very  striking.  Face  to  face  with  idolatry,  they  at  last 
acted  on  •  the  counsels  of  the  prophets,  and  put  away 
every  approach  to  it  in  their  own  practice,  devoting 
themselves  to  Jehovah  as  their  only  God.  Their  national 
isolation  promoted  this  great  reform,  while  the  still 
stricter  separation  demanded  by  their  religion,  for  its 
complete  obsei-vance,  increasingly  developed  tliis  cher- 
ished distinctness.  Cut  off  from  the  Temple  and  its 
rites,  they  grew  increasingly  anxious  to  preserve  their 
boast  of  being  "the  people  of  God."  Marriage  was 
only  permitted  within  their  own  race,  and  the  faith  of 
their  fathers,  at  least  in  its  ritual  details,  became  the 
one  rule  of  their  life.  They  might  be  unable  to  carry 
out  the  precepts  relating  to  worship  in  the  Temple, 
but  they  could  observe  with  the  more  sedulous  care  those 
which  bore  on  everyday  practice — the  Sabbath,  the 
religious  festivals,  circumcision,  and  the  laws  of  Levitical 
purity.  They  had  houses  for  prayer,  in  which  they  met 
at  set  times.  Amidst  a  population  speaking  Aramaic, 
they  still  cherished  among  themselves  their  ancestral 
Hebrew  ^ — as  the  language  of  their  sacred  writings.  In 
these  they  found  a  worthy  object  for  their  freshly  kindled 
religious  zeal,  cut  off  as  they  were  from  the  Temple,  its 
prayers,  and  sacrifices.  The  writings  of  the  prophets 
were  their  special  delight  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  exile, 
^  Neh.  xiii.  24. 


476  EZRA   AND   NEHEMIAH. 

notwithstanding  tlieir  searching  reproofs;  for,  besides 
these,  there  were  magnificent  promises  to  excite  their 
hopes  and  gratify  their  pride.  But,  as  time  passed,  the 
Books  of  the  Law,  in  their  fivefold  division,  took  the  chief 
place  in  their  regard.  Given  directly  by  God,  their  com- 
mands demanded  zealous  obedience,  at  once  to  secure 
His  favour,  and  to  emphasize  the  supreme  distinction 
among  mankind  which  the  possession  of  them  implied. 
A  new  order  of  literary  men  ere  long  arose,  to  whom 
the  study  of  the  Law  was  the  absorbing  passion  of  life. 
There  had  always  been  "  scribes,'^  as  the  annalists,  clerks, 
and  letter  writers  of  the  community;  but  henceforth  the 
name  was  virtually  limited  to  those  who  devoted  them- 
selves wholly  to  the  copying  or  studying  of  the  Torah. 
Every  precept  was  discussed  by  these  enthusiasts  in  all 
its  possible  applications,  that  no  loophole  might  be  left  for 
even  constructive  transgression.  A  beginning  was  thus 
made  of  the  vast  system  of  casuistry,  which,  in  after 
times,  expanded  into  the  twelve  folio  volumes  of  the 
Talmud.  To  guard  against  the  breach  of  even  the  most 
trivial  legal  requirement,  a  "  hedge  ^'  of  outlying  pre- 
scriptions was  set  round  the  whole  Law.  In  their  puri- 
tanical zeal,  the  scribes  were  disposed  to  widen  the 
sweep  of  every  injunction.  The  spirit  of  the  good  king 
Josiah,  the  true  founder  of  Judaism,  had  revived  in  the 
early  Rabbis  of  the  Babylonian  Golah. 

It  was  otherwise  among  the  colonists  of  Judah  and 
Jerusalem.  Some,  doubtless,  were  as  zealous  for  the  Law 
as  their  brethren  in  the  Euphrates,  but  very  many  had 
yielded  to  circumstances,  and  intermingled  freely  with 
the  families  of  kindred  races  in  their  midst,  not  a  few 
of  whom  had  become  proselytes  to  the  Jewish  faith,  and 
lived  in  Judah  and  Jerusalem.  Marriages  of  Israelites 
with  women  of  alien  blood,  though,  perhaps,  as  a  rule. 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  477 

of  a  comraoTi  faith,  naturally  resulted,  and  other  laxities, 
such  as  a  careless  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  more  or 
less  prevailed.^ 

This  state  of  things  must  have  been  known  in  Baby- 
lonia, though  hardly  realized  to  the  full  extent  by  those 
who  were  themselves  so  strict.  A  great  reformer,  how- 
ever, soon  appeared,  destined  to  bring  about  a  wonderful 
change. 

At  the  head  of  the  scribes  among  the  Golah,  stood  Ezra, 
a  man  of  priestly  rank,  famous  for  his  knowledge  of  the 
Law,  and  zeal  for  its  strict  observance.  His  ancestry,  which 
he  could  trace  back  to  Aaron,-^  included  a  long  suc- 
cession of  priestly  dignitaries.  He  was  a  descendant  of 
the  high  priest,  Hilkiah,  who  had  found  the  Book  of  the 
Law  in  the  Temple,  in  the  days  of  Josiah,  and  of  the  high 
priest  Seraiah,  whom  Nebuchadnezzar  had  put  to  death 
at  Riblah.^  Hence  he  stood  out  from  his  contemporaries 
as  especially  "  the  priest.^'*  But  having  been  born  in 
Babylonia  he  had  never  seen  the  Temple.  His  priestly 
dignity  was  thus  only  titular,  for  he  was  far  from  the 
spot  where  alone  he  could  officiate.  So  much  the  more 
earnestly  had  he  betaken  himself  to  the  study  of  the 
Law,  and  so  much  the  more  enthusiastic  was  he  for  its 
rigid  observance.  To  secure  this,  all  other  considera- 
tions had  to  bow.  Intensely  earnest,  he  had  the  absolute 
confidence  of  a  zealot  in  his  own  definitions  of  its  require- 
ments. To  enforce  the  Levitical  holiness  of  Israel  had 
become  his  one  idea,  and  no  Puritan  was  ever  more  ener- 
getic or  stern  in  pressing  his  will  on  others  as  that  of 
God.  Already  known  as  "  the  priest,"  he  was  even  more 
widely  known  in  his  riper  years  as  "  the  scribe.""     On 

1  Neh.  xiii.  15.  ^  Ezra  vii.  Iff.  '  2  Kings  xxv.  18. 

*  Ezra  vii.  11,  12;  x.  10,16.    Neh.  viii.  2. 

5  Neh.  viii.  4;  ix.  12,  26  ;  xiii.  12,  36.    Ezra  vii.  12,  26. 


478  EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

new  year's  day  of  B.C.  459-8,  the  seventh  year  of  Artax- 
erxes  ^^tlie  loug-armed/'  son  of  the  murdered  Xerxes, 
Ezra  had  made  up  his  mind  to  visit  the  Jewish  colony  in 
Palestine,  and  with  his  usual  decision  at  once  sought  and 
obtained  permission  from  the  king  to  do  so.  His  object 
was  to  enquire  respecting  the  observance  of  the  Law,  as 
expounded  by  himself,  in  Judah  and  Jerusalem.^  His 
own  profound  acquaintance  with  it,  and  his  absolute 
obedience  to  its  minutest  requirements  were  so  uni- 
versally acknowledged,  that  a  school  of  disciples  had 
gathered  round  him  in  Babylon,  to  spread  his  doctrine 
and  recommend  his  example.^  In  his  opinion  it  rose  in 
dignity  above  all  the  other  sacred  writings.  Other  pro- 
phets had  received  revelations  in  visions,  but  Moses  had 
seen  God  face  to  face.  The  Law  had  come  direct  from 
the  lips  of  Jehovah. 

Twelve  days  after  his  resolution  to  set  out  for  Jeru- 
salem, he  was  ready  to  start,  armed  with  a  letter  from 
Artaxerxes,  securing  him  the  assistance  and  protection 
of  the  imperial  officers,  on  his  journey  and  in  Palestine. 
King  and  nobles,  indeed,  vied  with  each  other  to  show 
him  favour,  so  profound  is  the  power  of  transparent 
sincerity.  Besides  contributing  gold  and  silver  as  gifts 
to  the  Temple,  Artaxerxes  allowed  him  to  accept  help 
from  his  brethren  and  others  who  were  friendly.  He  soon 
received  twenty  sacred  vessels  of  gold,  worth  a  thousand 
darics,  or  £1000  sterling;  ^  and  two,  as  costly  as  gold,  of 
glittering  copper;  smaller  ones  of  gold,  weighing  a  hun- 
dred talents — equal  to  £45,000,  and  others,  of  silver,  of 
equal  weight,  that  is,  worth  £20,000.*  In  silver  money, 
alone,  he  further  received  650  talents,  or  nearly  £200,000,^ 
an  immense  amount  in  those  times.     Orders  on  the  royal 

1  Ezra  vii.  15.  ^  Ezra  vii.  10.  »  Biehm,  p.  258. 

*  Kneucker,  Bih.  Lex.,  vol.  v.  p.  460.  ^  Ezra  vii.  25-27. 


EZEA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  479 

treasuries  secured  wheat,  wine,  oil  and  salt,  for  the  cara- 
van, at  every  station,^  and  he  was  further  empowered 
to  obtain  from  these  stores  whatever  money  might  be 
required  for  sacrifices  at  Jerusalem.^  Special  exemption 
from  taxes  was,  moreover,  granted  all  priests,  Levites, 
and  other  officials  of  the  Temple.^  Finally,  he  was  em- 
powered to  appoint  magistrates  and  judges  in  Judah 
who  should  secure  obedience  to  the  Law,  and  see  that 
it  was  universally  taught;*  obedience  to  them  being 
enforced  under  penalty  of  imprisonment,  confiscation  of 
goods,  exclusion  from  the  congregation,  or  death,  as  they, 
or  he  himself,  decreed."  He  was  armed,  in  fact,  with 
despotic  power  to  enforce  compliance  with  his  religious 
opinions.  Submission  to  his  will  was  the  only  protection 
against  the  loss  of  property,  or  even  of  life. 

The  rendezvous  for  the  caravan  was  appointed  at 
Ahava,  on  a  canal  of  that  name,  in  Babylonia,  and  there 
no  fewer  than  1,500  men  of  the  better  classes  pitched  their 
tents  on  the  appointed  day — laymen,  priests  and  others. 
No  one  of  doubtful  blood  could  be  enrolled  in  such  an 
expedition,  and  hence  three  days  were  spent  in  testing 
the  genealogies  of  the  intending  pilgrims.  Strange  to 
say,  no  Levite^  had  presented  themselves,  nor  any  of  the 
Temple  slaves.^  A  weighty  deputation  of  chief  men,  with 
two  "  teachers ''  of  the  Law — members  of  the  new  body 
of  scribes — was  therefore  sent  off '  to  a  colony  of  Levites 
and  Nethinim  at  Casiphia,  a  place  now  unknown,  for 
volunteers.  The  accession  of  a  "  teacher^'  or  scribe,  and 
about  forty  Levites  and  two  hundred  and  twenty  Temple 


1  Ezra  vii.  22.  ^  Ezra  vii.  16. 

3  Ezra  vii.  24.  ■*  Ezia  vii.  27. 

5  Ezra  vii.  26.  «  The  Nethinim  Ezra  viii.  15-17. 

'  In  A. v.,  "  Men  of  understanding."     Ezra  viii.  16. 


480  EZRA   AND   NEHEMIAH. 

servants  ^  was  tlie  result.  Laity,  priests,  Levites  in  the 
strict  sense,  Temple  singers  and  guards,  and  Nethinim, 
were  now  ready  to  start.  With  women  and  children,  the 
whole  caravan  must  have  numbered  more  than  5000  souls. 

It  only  remained  to  commend  the  undertaking  to 
the  care  of  the  Almighty,  and  for  this  end  a  fast  was 
proclaimed.  Having  told  the  king  that  the  hand  of 
Jehovah  was  on  all  them,  for  good,  that  sought  Him, 
Ezra  refused  an  escort  of  horse  and  foot  which  had  been 
offered,  to  guard  the  caravan,  with  its  tempting  wealth, 
from  the  lawless  Arabs. ^  The  gold  and  silver,  and 
sacred  vessels,  having  finally  been  committed  to  the  care 
of  chosen  priests  and  Levites,  the  tents  were  struck,  and 
the  journey  began.  The  "  holy  things  '^  were  entrusted 
to  "holy  men,"  who  were  to  devote  themselves  to  their 
charge  till  it  was  delivered  to  the  chief  priests,  Levites, 
and  elders,  in  the  chambers  of  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem.^ 

Four  months  and  a  half  were  spent  in  the  long  march 
up  the  Euphrates,  across  the  desert  to  Northern  Syria, 
and  then  south,  to  Jerusalem.*  "  The  hand  of  our  God 
was  upon  us,"  says  Ezra,  and,  thus  protected,  no  enemy 
troubled  them  on  the  way. 

The  arrival  of  such  an  addition  to  their  numbers  must 
have  been  most  welcome  to  the  citizens  of  Jerusalem.  It 
seemed  as  if,  at  last,  the  words  of  the  prophets  had  been 
realized.  The  treasures  of  the  heathen,  borne  by  long 
trains  of  camels,  were  safe  in  the  holy  city ;  and  a 
leader,  famous  for  his  knowledge  of  the  Law  and  zeal 
in  its  behalf,  had  come,  with  royal  power  to  promote  its 
observance.  Ezra  must  have  appeared,  to  not  a  few,  the 
expected  Messiah. 

On  the  fourth  day,  the  silver,  gold,  and  sacred  vessels, 

1  Ezra  viii.  18-20.  ^  Ezra  viii.  22. 

*  Ezra  viii.  29.  *  Ezra  vii.  9 ;  viii.  31. 


EZRA   AND   NEHEMIAH.  481 

were  duly  weighed  and  handed  over  to  the  Temple 
officials,  represented  by  two  priests  and  two  Levites. 
The  high  priest  Eliashib/  however,  is  not  named,  as  if 
the  stern  precisian,  now  supreme  in  Church  and  State, 
had  some  reason  for  slighting  him.  Great  public  rejoic- 
ings, taking^  the  Hebrew  form  of  a  religious  festival,  with 
huge  sacrifices,  welcomed  the  new  comers  and  their 
chief,  and  the  commands  of  the  Great  King  in  favour  of 
the  Jews  were  sent  off  to  the  Persian  officials,  and  bright 
hopes  and  universal  enthusiasm  prevailed. 

Ezra  at  once  took  his  place  as  the  supreme  judge  over 
the  community,  superseding  the  high  priest  himself  and 
all  other  authorities  ;  but  five  months  and  a  half  passed 
— from  August  to  December — without  any  incident  of 
moment.  Meanwhile,  the  new  ruler  had  been  carefully 
noting  things  around  him.  With  his  staflf  of  subordinate 
scribes,  he  marked  the  shortcomings  of  the  community. 
A  copy  of  the  Law ,2  brought  by  him  from  Babylon,  was 
the  statute  book,  from  which  there  was  no  appeal.  His 
ideas,  harsh  and  severe  on  many  points,  in  the  judgment 
of  not  a  few,  must,  to  some  extent,  have  got  abroad; 
among  others,  those  on  mixed  marriages,  which  he 
fiercely  condemned. 

Some  of  the  leading  men,  whether  from  conviction  or 
policy,  were  ready  to  adopt  Ezra's  views,  but  there  was 
a  strong  undercurrent  of  opposition,  which  only  yielded 
to  compulsion.  Those,  however,  who  were  at  one  with 
him — it  may  be  from  conscientious  scruples,  raised  by 
hearing  extracts  from  his  copy  of  the  Law — appeared 
before  Ezra  on  the  sixteenth  day  of  the  ninth  month 
(nearly  our  December),  and  informed  him,  with  many 
expressions  of  pain,  that  marriages  with  women  of  non- 

*  Presumably  Joiakim  would  now  be  dead. 
2  Ezra  vii.  25. 
VOL.  VI.  I  I 


482  EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

Jewish  races  had  hitherto  been  common  in  Jerusalem 
and  Judah,  among  all  classes.^  The  Law,  strictly  inter- 
preted, was  beyond  question  against  these  alliances.  In 
Exodus  2  and  Deuteronomy  ^  such  relations  with  the  native 
races  of  Canaan  were  strictly  forbidden  ;  but  the  depu- 
tation which  now  appeared  before  Ezra,  added  to  these 
the  names  of  peoples — the  Ammonites,  Moabites,  and 
Egyptians — not  formally  excluded  from  marriages  with 
Israelites,  though  such  alliances  with  them  were  con- 
demned in  the  historical  books  as  contrary  to  the  spirit 
of  the  Law.*  The  prohibition  quoted  could  indeed  be 
only  constructively  applicable,  for  most  of  the  races 
mentioned  had  long  ceased  to  exist  as  separate  com- 
munities, having  for  many  generations  been  fused  into 
the  general  population  of  Palestine. 

Such  a  state  of  things  amongst  those  who  had  left 
Babylon  to  rebuild  the  Temple,  shocked  Ezra  to  the 
soul.  It  was  no  mitigation  of  the  sin,  in  his  eyes,  that 
the  question  of  mixed  marriages  had  always  been  viewed 

*  Ezra  ix.  1.  The  laity  are  always  pub  first  in  Ezra's  enume- 
ration of  classes.     A  lesson  of  modesty  to  some  in  our  own  day. 

2  Exod.  xxxiv.  12-16. 

3  Dent.  vii.  1-5. 

*  Jud.  iii.  6.  1  Kings  xi.  2.  Neh.  xiii.  2.  The  note  of  Graetz 
is  worth  translating.  It  runs  thus:— As  legal  warrant  for 
regarding  ib  as  a  breach  of  the  law,  Ezra  refers  (ix.  12)  to  Deut. 
xxiii.  3.  But  this  prohibition  refers  only  to  the  Moabites  and 
Ammonites.  Ezra  needed  therefore  to  generalize  the  transgres- 
sion, but  for  this  he  had  no  direct  authority  from  the  Pentateuch. 
He  was  therefore  forced  to  fall  back  on  an  indirect  authority 
(ix.  11).  This  is  an  allusion  to  Lev.  xviii.  24,  25,  and  to  Exod. 
xxxiv.  15  fF.  since  the  Canaanitish  races  and  idolaters  are  there 
referred  to,  while  the  families  into  which  the  Jews  had  married 
were  neither.  Geschichte,  vol.  ii.  2,  pp.  131.  The  prohibition  in 
Deut.  xxiii.  3,  refers  to  the  reception  of  the  peoples  named  as 
members  of  the  nation — their  being  made  full  citizens. 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  483 

liberally  in  the  past.  Moses  himself  was  the  son  of  an 
illegal  marriage  of  nephew  and  aunt,^  and  he  had  in  suc- 
cession married  a  Midianite  and  an  Ethiopian,  or  Cushite. 
The  daughters  of  Naomi  had  married  Moabites,  and  Euth, 
the  Moabitess,  had  been  the  great-grandmother  of  David 
himself.^  The  hero-kiug,  the  idol  of  the  nation,  more- 
over, had  married  alien  wives. ^  King  Eehoboain  was 
the  son  of  an  Ammonite  woman,*  and  the  founder  of  the 
illustrious  House  of  Jerahmeelites,  in  the  time  of  Eli,  had 
been  an  Egyptian,  to  whom  a  Hebrew  chief  had  given 
his  daughter  as  wife.^  A  Syrian  mother  had  been  the 
founder  of  the  great  family  of  Machir,  the  Manassite, 
of  Gilead.*  It  had,  indeed,  been  impossible,  hitherto,  to 
enforce  rigid  isolation  from  surrounding  races ;  all  classes 
of  the  population,  in  every  age,  had  more  or  less  evaded 
it.7 

But  the  usage  of  a  thousand  years  was  to  be  abruptly 
broken  off.  To  Ezra,  the  "  holy  seed ''  of  Israel  was 
polluted  by  marriage  with  a  member  of  any  other  race, 
even  where  idolatry  had  been  abandoned,  and  Jehovah 
was  worshipped.  For  this,  it  cannot  be  doubted,  was 
the  case  with  such  alliances,  in  a  community  like  that  of 
Jerusalem,  stern  Puritans,  who  had  left  their  native  land, 
Babylon,  and  all  they  had,  through  zeal  for  God.  But 
to  the  hard  and  narrow  mind  of  Ezra,  it  mattered  nothing 
that  the  wives  of  nou-Jewish  blood  were  proselytes, 
obedient  to  the  faith.  It  was  enough  that  they  were  not 
Hebrews  of  the  Hebrews,  pure  in  their  descent  on  both 
sides.  According  to  him,  heathen,  who  had  accepted  the 
Jewish  faith,  might  be  admitted  into  the  congregation, 

1  Exod.  vi.  20.     Num.  xxvi.  59.     Lev.  xviii.  12. 

2  Eur,h  i.  4;  iv.  22.  »  2  Sam.  iii.  3.  ^  1  Kings  xiv.  21. 
5  1  OliroD.  ii.  34                  «  1  Chron.  vii.  14. 

'  Jud.  iii.  6.     2  Sam.  xi.  3.     1  Kings  xi.  1 ;  xvi.  31. 


484  EZEA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

but  only  on  an  inferior  footing,  as  a  separate  and  lower 
caste.  Like  the  Gibeonites  of  old,  and  the  Temple  slaves, 
who,  though  incorporated  with  the  State  for  more  than  a 
thousand  years,  and  Jews  in  creed,  were  yet  kept  distinct 
and  prohibited  from  intermarriage  with  Israelites ;  the 
proselytes  from  the  peoples  round,  however  high  in  social 
position,  refined  by  education,  or  sincere  in  orthodoxy, 
must  be  kept  apart,  as  a  class  with  which  no  Jew  could 
condescend  to  ally  himself.  Pride  of  race  had  much  to 
do  with  this  ;  but  there  was,  besides,  a  dread  lest  close 
relations  with  minds  more  liberal  than  their  own,  should 
lead  any  Jews  to  more  generous  views  on  points  of  the 
ceremonial  law  than  the  dogmatism  of  Ezra  permitted. 
He  was,  in  fact,  the  prototype  of  men  .like  Danstan,  or 
Balfour  of  Burley,  or  the  Puritans  who  banished  Roger 
Williams  from  Massachusetts.  Intensely  sincere,  he  was 
also  bitterly  intolerant  and  despotic.  His  marriage  law 
was  at  least  a  straining  of  that  of  Moses,  and  was  so 
impracticable,  that  the  Rabbis  themselves  modified  it  in 
later  times.  But  he  was  led  to  it  by  a  fear  which  the 
circumstances  of  the  times  amply  explain.  The  reception 
of  proselytes  or  half-proselytes  to  lull  and  equal  citizen- 
ship might,  in  his  opinion,  corrupt  the  high  tone  of  the 
community,  by  relaxing  the  superstitious  observance  of 
ceremonial  details,  which  his  intensely  ritualistic  mind 
regarded  as  the  safeguard  of  the  religious  life. 

To  one  with  views  like  his,  such  a  state  of  things  as 
was  now  disclosed  was  an  overpowering  calamity.  Even 
priests  and  Levites  had  been  guilty  of  the  abhorred 
marriages.  His  exciteable  Eastern  nature  was  over- 
whelmed with  sorrow  and  mortification.  He  had  received 
the  deputation  in  the  open  air,  but  now,  as  the  high 
dignitaries  ended  their  confession,  he  could  not  restrain 
his  distress.     Rising  to  his   feet,  he  rent  his  outer  and 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  485 

then  his  inner  robe,  in  his  immeasurable  grief,  and,  like 
one  all  but  frenzied,  tore  the  hair  of  his  head  and  of  his 
beard,  till,  after  a  time,  he  sank  silent  and  motionless 
on  the  ground,  where  he  lay  till  the  hour  of  the  evening 
sacrifice,  amidst  a  surrounding  crowd,  stupefied  and 
confounded.  Then  rising  from  the  earth,  and  again 
tearing  his  robes,  he  strode  to  the  forecourt  of  the 
Temple,  and  falling  on  his  knees  before  the  multitude 
assembled  below  for  worship,  he  poured  forth  his  soul 
aloud,  in  agonizing  prayer,  with  his  hands  stretched  out 
to  Jehovah.  His  people,  he  cried,  had  come  back  from 
Babylon,  no  better  for  the  terrible  discipline.  Tliey  had 
fallen  again  iuto  their  old  sins?,  though  God  had  spared 
a  remnant  of  them,  through  the  favour  of  the  Persian 
kings.  If  they  again  transgressed  His  Law,  by  marriages 
with  the  peoples  of  the  land,  what  remained  but  that 
even  that  remnant  would  be  destroyed  by  the  just 
wrath  of  the  Eternal  ?  Weeping  aloud  as  he  spoke,  and 
casting  himself  down  before  the  Temple  in  an  agony  of 
soul,  his  emotion  spread  to  the  throng  of  men,  women 
and  children,  who  crowded  towards  him,  to  catch  his 
words.  That  the  great  Ezra,  illustrious  as  "  the  priest,'' 
and  no  less  so  as  *'  the  scribe,'*  but  perhaps  still  more 
feared  as  the  commissioner  of  the  Great  King,  with  life 
and  death  in  his  hands,  should  be  thus  unmanned,  im- 
plied terrible,  though  hitherto  unsuspected,  guilt,  on  the 
part  of  the  community,  in  the  state  of  things  that  thus 
unnerved  him.  His  sighs  and  tears  provoking  theirs, 
the  Temple  courts  resounded  with  wailing. 

Ezra   was  destined  to    triumph.      Among    the    clans 

which  had,  in  part,  returned  from  Babylon  with  Zerub- 

babel,  nearly  eighty  years  before,   were  the  Benai   Klam,^ 

of  whom  1,254  were  among  the  first  Pilgrim  Fathers. 

1  Ezra  ii.  7.     Neh.  vii.  12.     1  Esdr.  v.  12. 


486  EZRA   AND   NEHEMIAH. 

Seventy-one  more  had  just  come  with  Ezra,^  true  and 
loyal  worshippers  of  Jehovah.  Overpowered  by  the  mov- 
ing scene,  one  of  these,  while  Ezra  was  still  on  his  knees, 
after  his  prayer,  broke  out  into  a  loud  confession  of  guilt, 
for  himself  and  his  brethren,  in  the  custom  denounced. 
They  had  sinned  against  their  God  by  having  taken 
strange  wives,  of  the  people  of  the  land.  But  now  there 
was  hope  for  Israel.^  Let  them  make  a  covenant  with 
their  God  to  put  away  all  the  wives,  with  their  children  ! 

Such  a  proposal  committed  all  present  to  the  course 
Ezra  demanded,  without  their  being  heard  in  self-defence. 
Seizing  the  advantage,  Ezra  instantly  rose  and„  turning 
to  the  chief  priests,  Levites,  and  laity  assembled,  called 
on  them  to  swear  adherence  to  the  speaker^s  words. 
Nor  could  they  refuse.  Their  wives  and  children  had 
done  no  wrong,  and  it  might  have  been  expected  that 
natural  aS'ection  would  have  pleaded  in  their  behalf. 
But  pitiless  legalism,  armed  with  the  power  of  life  and 
death,  and  of  confiscation  of  goods,  had  decided  against 
them  ;  and  in  the  excitement  and  fear  of  the  moment, 
they  hastened  to  clear  themselves  from  a  doubtful  offence, 
by  committing  one  that  revolts  every  noble  feeling. 

The  reform  thus  begun  was  to  be  carried  to  its  bitter 
end.  Ezra  would  neither  eat  nor  drink  till  he  had 
thoroughly  gained  the  day  and  bent  the  community  to 
his  will.  Like  religious  enthusiasts  in  general,  he  be- 
lieved his  doctrine  to  be  from  God,  and  forgot  even  his 
natural  wants  till  what  he  deemed  so  mortal  a  sin  on  the 
part  of  his  people  was  removed.  All  the  population  were 
accordingly  summoned  to  appear  in  the  great  open  space 
before  the  Temple,  within  three  days,  on  pain  of  confis- 
cation of  all  they  had,  and  exclusion  from  the  rights  of 
citizenship.^ 

1  Ezra  viii.  7.     1  Esdr.  viii.  33.         «  jjzra  x.  3.        «  Ezra  x.  8. 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  487 

It  was  December,  and  the  winter  rains  were  falling 
heavily  when  the  great  assembly  gathered.  Squatting, 
in  Eastern  fashion,  on  the  ground,  they  trembled,  we  are 
told,  partly  from  the  cold,  but  perhaps  more  from  ex- 
citement and  dread,  as  they  awaited  the  rising  of  Ezra 
to  address  them.^  His  words  were  few  and  to  the  point. 
They  had  transgressed,  and  taken  strange  wives,  to  in- 
crease the  sin  of  Israel.  Let  them  confess  their  guilt 
to  Jehovah,  and  do  His  pleasure,  by  separating  them- 
selves from  the  people  of  the  land  and  from  their  non- 
Jewish  partners. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  private  feelings  of  some 
in  the  vast  crowd,  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  obey. 
*'  As  thou  hast  said,  so  we  must  do,'*  rose  loudly  from 
all.  There  was  no  arguing  with  a  man  who  could  strip 
them  of  their  goods,  cut  off  their  rights  as  citizens, 
or  even  take  their  lives.  Besides,  had  not  Ezra  assured 
them  that  the  fierce  wrath  of  God  would  destroy  them, 
if  they  did  not  obey  him.  But  they  had  still  calmness 
enough  to  object  to  action  on  the  moment,  in  a  matter 
so  grave.  There  were  many  cases  to  examine,  the 
weather  was  too  stormy  to  remain  out  of  doors,  and 
the  work  too  great  to  be  hurried  over.  A  great  public 
assembly  was  not  a  fit  body  to  enter  into  such  a  question. 
Let  a  court  be  formed  in  Jerusalem,  of  the  chief  men  of 
each  tribe,  and  let  all  who  had  wives  of  alien  blood  come 
before  it,  at  an  appointed  time,  with  the  elders  and  judges 
of  their  respective  cities,  that  each  case  might  be  carefully 
examined.^  At  the  moment,  four  men  alone,  one  of  them 
a  Levice,  had  the  courage  to  oppose  the  repudiation  of 
women  who  had  married  them  in  good  faith,  and,  as  all 

»   Ezra  X.  9. 

2  Eziax.  15.      For  "  were  employed  about   this  matter,"  read 
"  stood  up  against  this."     Gesenius,     Bertheau,     Keil. 


488  EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

had  thouglit  with  due  legality  ;  but  not  a  few  ultimately 
refused  to  break  up  their  homes  and  turn  adrift  their 
innocent  wives  and  children. 

A  court  presided  over  by  Ezra,  with  the  heads  of  the 
great  clans  as  assessors,  soon  completed  this  questionable 
reform.  In  two  months,  a  multitude  of  blameless  women 
of  all  ranks  were  divorced.  Among  these  were  the  wives 
of  the  four  sons  of  Joshua,  the  high  priest  who  came  from 
Babylon  with  Zerubbabel,  themselves  dignified  priests  ; 
the  wives  of  a  number  of  priests  of  the  clans  of  Immer, 
Harim,  and  Pashur ;  of  Levites,  of  Temple  singers,  and  of 
laj^men  of  many  different  clans.^  Innocent  mothers  and 
helpless  children  were  alike  turned  adrift,^  in  the  name 
of  religion ;  so  unnatural  is  fanaticism,  when  it  presumes 
to  speak  for  God.  But  the  transaction  did  not  pass 
unpunished.  The  races  insulted  in  the  persons  of  the 
dismissed  wives  and  children,  were  ere  long  bitterly  to 
avenge  them. 

JFor  the  next  fourteen  years,  till  B.C.  445,  we  know 
nothing  of  the  history  of  Judah  or  Jerusalem.  In  that 
year,  however,  a  second  groat  personay^e,  destined  to  exert 
a  lasting  iniluence  on  the  future  of  Israel,  arrived  from 
Persia.  The  Great  King  lived  during  summer  at  Ecba- 
tana,^  up  in  the  Median  hills,  and  during  winter  at  Susa, 
200  miles  south,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  of  Susiana, 
on  their  western  side,  where  the  warmth  of  the  Persian 
Gulf  was  tempered  by  upland  breezes.  Here,  among  the 
officials  at   the  court  of  Artaxerxes,  Nehemiah,  a  Jew, 

^  Ezra  X.  20-43. 

2  Ezra  X.  44.  Bertheau,  Graetz  and  Kiienen  translate  the 
secorid  clause  of  tins  verse  "and  some  of  them  put  away  their 
wives  and  children."  In  Neh.  vi.  18  we  find  au  instance  of  a 
mixed  marriage  still  upheld. 

^  Ezra  vi.  2. 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 


held  the  confidential  post  of  cupbearer,  which  admitted 
him  to  constant  intercourse  with  his  master.  To  hold 
such  a  post,  implied  the  enjoymeot  of  the  king^s  special 
confidence,  as  only  an  official  who  was  unreservedly 
trusted  could  be  allowed  to  discharge  duties  so  readily 


,  lillWiMil 


CCPBEARERS   AT  THE   ANCIENT   TeHSIAN  CoUBT. 

offering  opportunities  to  a  traitor.  That  Xerxes  should 
have  had  Esther,  a  Jewess,  as  one  of  his  queens,  and 
Mordecai  as  his  grand  vizier,  accounts  for  the  favour  of 
his  son  towards  Neheraiah.  The  tradition  of  the  wisdom 
and  fidelity  of  Daniel,  moreover,  might  well  excite  a 
kindly  feeling  to  at  least  some  of  the  race. 


490  EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

Josephua  tells  us,^  that  as  Nehemiah  was  walking  one 
day  outside  the  walls  of  Susa,  some  strangers,  roaking 
for  the  city,  travel-worn  as  if  by  a  long  journey,  were 
overheard  by  him  discoursing  in  his  own  language — the 
Hebrew.  Nothing  touches  the  heart  in  a  strange  land 
more  than  one's  mother  tongue;  he  went  up  to  them, 
therefore,  and,  introducing  himself,  found  they  were  from 
Judah.  To  inquire  respecting  Jerusalem  and  its  people 
naturally  followed ;  but  the  news  was  sad.  The  walls  of 
the  city  had  been  mostly  rebuilt,  and  the  town  gates  had 
been  set  up,  within  the  last  few  years,  but  the  represen- 
tations of  Rehum,  apparently  the  Persian  governor  of 
Palestine,  and  of  his  secretary,  had  led  to  a  command 
from  the  court  at  Susa,  to  stop  the  rebuilding  of  the  city 
and  walls  at  once.^  Armed  with  this  authority,  the  neigh- 
bouring races,  infuriated  at  the  rejection  of  their  friendly 
offers  of  assistance,  by  Zerubbabel,  years  before,  and  still 
more  so,  by  Ezra's  recent  insult,  in  sending  back  to  their 
homes  all  the  wives  of  non-Jewish  race  found  in  Jerusalem 
and  Judea — had  attacked  Jerusalem,  and,  after  fierce 
struggles,  had  broken  down  the  newly  restored  walls  and 
burned  the  gates  with  fire.^  Nor  was  this  all;  the  country 
was  pillaged  in  open  day,  and  uiany  Jews  carried  off  into 
slavery  by  nightly  surprises,  while  the  corpses  of  mur- 
dered men  were  often  found  on  the  roads.  At  such  a 
recital  Nehemiah  broke  into  tears,  amidst  which  his  grief 
unburdened  itself  in  the  cry  suggested  by  the  Psalms 
and  Lamentations/*  "How  long,  O  Jehovah,  wilt  thou 
permit  Thy  people  to  suffer  ?  ''     Lingering  at  the  gate, 

^  Jos.,  Ant,  XL  V.  6.  2  Ezra  iv.  9-23. 

*  Neh.  i.  3.  It  is  most  natural  to  ascribe  the  disaster  to  this 
time. 

^  Ps.  xiii.  1.  Lam.  v.  20.  See  also  Deut.  xxxi.  17.  Ps.  xliv. 
24;  Ixxxviii.  14;  Ixxxix.  46. 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  491 

in  his  sorrow,  forgetful  of  the  lapse  of  time,  he  was  only 
roused  when  reminded  that  his  presence  was  needed  in 
the  palace.  The  king  was  about  to  sit  down  to  supper ; 
he  must  hurry  off,  to  minister  as  cupbearer.  Struck 
with  his  dejection,  the  king  noticed  it  to  him,  and  having 
heard  the  cause  of  his  grief,  gave  him  permission  to  go 
to  Palestine  and  put  right  the  matters  that  troubled 
him. 

Nehemiah's  own  account  is,  that  one  of  his  brothers,^ 
who  had  been  away  to  Palestine,  returned  with  a  dismal 
account  of  the  state  of  things  in  the  Jewish  community 
there.  Like  Dauiel,  Ezra,  and  other  pious  Israelites  of 
the  Exile,  the  cupbearer  was  eminently  a  man  of  prayer, 
and  carried  his  sorrow  at  once  to  God,  "  mourning,  fast- 
ing and  praying  for  days,  before  the  God  of  heaven."  ^ 
It  was  no  passing  sorrow.  The  thought  of  the  city  of 
the  sepulchres  of  his  fathers  lying  waste,^  grieved  his 
soul.  For  four  months — from  December  to  April, 
(Kislew  to  Nisan),  it  lay  heavy  on  his  heart.  Then,  at 
last,  as  he  was  giving  wine  to  the  king,  who  was  sitting, 
according  to  Persian  custom,  with  his  favourite  queen, 
the  sorrow  that  had  long  clouded  a  face  formerly  cheerful, 
was  noticed.  The  abject  terror  natural  in  the  court  of 
an  Eastern  despot,  is  marked  by  Nehemiah's  statement, 
that  when  the  change  in  his  looks  thus  arrested  attention, 
he  was  "  very  sore  afraid."  But  his  touching  answer 
disarmed  suspicion.  He  was  sorrowing  over  the  desola- 
tion of  the  city  where  his  fathers  lay  buried.  '^  For 
what  then,"  said  Artaxerxes,  *'  dost  thou  make  re- 
quest ?  "  "  So  I  prayed,"  says  Nehemiah,  "  to  the  God 
of  heaven.  And  I  said  to  the  king,  'If  it  please  the 
king,  and  if  thy  slave  have  found  favour  in  thy  sight ; 

^  He  is  called  **  my  brother,"  Neh.  vii.  2. 
2  Neh.  i.  4.  a  Neh.  ii.  3,  5. 


492  EZEA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

that  thou  wouldest  send  me  to  Judah,  nnto  the  city  of 
my  fathers'  sepulchres,  that  I  may  bnild  it.' ''  ^ 

Leave  of  absence  for  an  indefinite  time  was  at  once 
granted,  the  great  income  of  his  office  being  apparently 
continued.^  Letters,  moreover,  were  given  him  for  the 
various  governors  of  provinces  on  the  road,  authorizing 
his  free  passage,  and  requiring  him  to  be  furnished  with 
all  aids.  Orders  were  further  put  in  his  hands  for  timber 
from  the  royal  forests,^  for  the  city  gates,  the  governor's 
palace,  and  the  fortress  on  the  Temple  hill.  An  escort 
of  military  officers  and  of  cavalry  was  also  appointed  him, 
and  thus  protected,  he  passed  on  to  Jerusalem  as  a  high 
official  of  the  imperial  court,  taking  with  him  a  large 
body  of  attendants  and  personal  servants.* 

That  one  of  their  brethren  should  have  received  such 
an  appointment  was  a  great  event  for  the  Jewish  com- 
munity. Ezra  had  been  a  judge  and  magistrate  under 
the  Persian  governor,  but  Nehemiah  was  himself  the 
Pasha  of  Jerusalem  and  Judah,  and  as  such  supreme. 
No  inferior  officer  could  have  carried  out  the  great  task 
before  him.     A  city  without  walls  and  gates,  was,  in  such 

^  Neh.  ii.  1-6.  The  importance  of  the  office  of  cupbearer,  is 
seen  in  Herod.^  iii.  34,  where,  incidentally,  a  vivid  picture  is 
given  of  the  awf  nl  despotism  of  the  Persian  court.  Cambyses,  in 
mere  sport,  shoots  the  son  of  the  cupbearer  through  the  heart, 
and  then  asks  his  father,  "if  he  ever  saw  a  man  take  a  truer  aim?" 
Xenophon  {Cyrop.,  i.  3),  speaks  of  the  cupbearer  of  Astyages, 
grandfather  of  Cyrus,  as  the  most  favoured  of  the  officers  of  the 
palace.  It  was  his  part  to  introduce  to  the  king  those  who  had 
important  business  with  him,  and  to  keep  back  such  as  had 
matters  of  less  weight.  This,  alone,  must  have  given  him  great 
power.     The  emoluments,  moreover,  seem  to  have  been  large. 

2  It  is  difficulr.,  otherwise,  to  understand  the  wealth  of  Nehemiah 
while  in  Judah.     See  afterwards. 

3  Neh.  ii.  8. 

^  Neh.  iv.  10, 16,17,  23;  v.  10,  14-16;  xiii.  19. 


EZRA    AND    NEHEMIAH.  493 

times,  the  prey  of  every  assailant.  Zechariali^  had  fondly 
pictured  a  time  when  bulwarks  would  not  be  needed ; 
but  it  was  still  in  the  future,  and  Nehemiah,  like  all  his 
contemporaries,  saw  that  they  were  essential  to  the  con- 
tinued existence  of  the  community.  His  one  thought, 
therefore,  was  to  fortify  the  city  against  all  attacks. 

The  arrival  of  a  Jewish  governor  mortified  the  enemies 
of  Jerusalem,  as  much  as  it  gratified  its  members.  To 
the  dignity  and  absolute  authority  of  a  Pasha,  he  added 
the  influence  of  private  wealth,  which  he  used  with  a 
noble  generosity ;  relieving  his  brethren  of  the  burden 
of  maintaining  him  and  his  court.  Indeed,  during  all 
his  tenure  of  office,  he  not  only  made  no  requisitions, 
and  levied  no  imposts  for  his  rightful  dues  ;  but,  besides 
maintaining  himself  and  his  numerous  household  and 
visitors  alike,  at  his  own  cost  kept  open  house  for  resi- 
dents and  retinue,  and  was  princely  in  his  general  bene- 
factions.^ 

That  he  had  come  to  promote  the  interests  of  his 
people,  was  at  once  understood  by  friend  and  foe,  but 
he  prudently  kept  details  to  himself.  It  was  vital  that 
his  plans  should  not  be  prematurely  disclosed.  The  first 
steps  toward  their  accomplishment  were  therefore  taken 
with  all  secrecy.  In  the  darkness  of  the  third  or  fourth 
night  after  his  arrival — for  he  lost  no  time — he  started 
on  horseback,^  with  a  few  attendants  on  foot,  to  examine 
the  state  of  the  walls.  Descending  into  the  ravine  of 
Hinnom  by  the  west  port,  somewhere  near  the  present 
Jaffa  Gate,  he  advanced  to  the  Spring  of  the  Dragon,* — 
a  spot  not  clearly  identified,  unless  it  refer  to  a  popular 
fancy  respecting  the  intermittent  flow  of  the  waters  of 
Siloam,  at  the  south-west  of  the  city.    To  gain  this  point, 

1  Zech.  ii.  4.  2  ;Neh.  v.  14-18.  ^  j^eh.  ii.  12. 

*  Geikie's  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  vol.  ii.  p.  88. 


494  EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

he  had  to  pass  the  gate  at  the  south-west  of  Zion,  outside 
which  were  thrown  the  dust  and  sweepings  of  the  town. 
He  wished  to  see  for  himself  the  state  of  the  walls  and 
gates.  Proceeding  along  by  Siloam,  eastward,  to  the 
king's  pool,  masses  of  ruin  blocked  the  way,  so  that 
he  had  to  dismount.  Pressing  on  afoot,  he  followed,  as 
he  best  could,  the  line  of  broken  fortifications,  till  he  had 
made  the  circuit  of  the  whole  city,  and  once  more  reached 
the  gate  through  which  he  had  ridden  out  on  his  survey. 
So  secretly  had  all  this  been  effected,  that  neither  the  high 
city  ofiBcials,  the  priests,  the  great  men,  nor  the  burghers, 
knew  anything  of  it.  But,  once  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  actual  state  of  affairs,  Nehemiah  forthwith 
assembled  the  principal  citizens,  and  announced  to  them 
his  resolution  to  rebuild  the  walls.  Nor  were  they  left 
to  question  or  hesitate.  Instant  action  was  required; 
and  the  summons  was  promptly  obeyed.  The  whole  wall 
was  portioned  otf,  in  short  lengths,  to  different  bodies  of 
volunteers,  to  the  rich  city  guilds,  and  to  wealthy  and 
public- spirited  citizens,  who  undertook  to  restore  them. 
The  enthusiasm  of  the  governor  was  contagious.  He 
believed  that  God  was  with  him,  and  inspired  the  people 
with  the  same  confidence.  Still  more,  he  informed  them 
that  he  held  a  firman  from  the  Great  King  ^  sanctioning 
all  that  he  proposed.  All  classes  threw  themselves  into 
the  work  with  the  greatest  energy.  To  Eliashib,  the 
high  priest,  and  his  subordinates,  was  assigned  the  build- 
ing of  the  sheep  gate,  at  the  north  end  of  the  east  wall. 
The  men  of  Jericho  were  to  build  the  piece  next.  The 
guilds  of  the  goldsmiths,  apothecaries,  and  merchants,^ 
had  their  separate  tasks.  The  men  of  Tekoa  alone, 
through  their  chiefs,  ignobly  refused  ^^  to  put  their  necks 
to  the  work  of  their  Lord.''  ^  The  Gibeonites  and  those 
»  Neh.  ii.  18.  ^  j^eh.  iii.  8,  32,  33.  »  Neh.  iii.  5. 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  495 

of  Mizpah,  apparently  the  hill  Nebi  Sarawil,  north  of  Jeru- 
salem, though  not  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Nehemiah, 
but  in  the  territory  of  the  governor  of  Syria/  cheer- 
fully took  the  share  allotted  thera.  Shalliim,  the  muni- 
cipal chief  of  one-half  of  Jerusalem,  became  responsible, 
with  his  daughters,  for  a  piece. ^  Even  the  Levites 
had  a  share  allotted  them,  and  so  had  the  priests  who 
lived  in  the  country  round  Jerusalem.^  Thirty-five 
volunteers  are  named  who  accepted  and  completed  the 
parts  of  the  great  undertaking  committed  to  them.  The 
municipal  chiefs  of  the  second  half  of  Jerusalem ;  the 
people  of  Zanoah,  south  of  Hebron ;  *  the  municipal 
chief  of  the  district  of  Mizpah;  of  the  half  district  of 
Beth-zur,  north  of  Hebron ;  ^  of  the  two  halves  of  the 
district  of  Keilah,  in  the  Hebron  mountains ;  ^  and  of 
Mizpah  itself — all  helped.  Town  and  country  showed 
themselves  alike  resolute  in  the  great  task.  Its  distribu- 
tion into  sections  brings  the  ancient  city,  as  they  toiled 
to  fortify  it,  vividly  before  us,  by  the  landmarks  named. 
The  sheep  gate,  the  towers  of  Meah  and  Hananeel,  the 
fish  gate,  the  gate  of  the  old  city,  the  broad  wall,  the 
tower  of  the  furnaces,  the  king's  garden,  the  stairs  from 
the  city  of  David,  the  sepulchres  of  David  and  the  kings, 
the  barracks  of  David's  "mighty  men,"  the  armoury,  the 
upper  town  of  the  king's  palace,  the  guard  house,  where 
Jeremiah  had  been  confined,  the  out-lying  tower  of 
Ophel,  the  quarter  of  the  Nethinim,  and  the  higher  part 
of  the  wall  at  the  corner,  successively  rise  before  us  ; — 
spots  once  so  well  known,  but  now  mere  names  for  well- 
nigh  two  thousand  years. 

The  task  before  the  citizens  was  a  heavy  one  for  all. 

»  Neh.  iii.  7.  2  j^e^.  iii.  12.  ^  ^qY^  ^[i  22 ;  xii.  28. 

*  Conder,  Handbook,  p.  411.     Keil  mentions  a  Zanua  west  of 
Jerusalem.  *  Conder,  p.  407.  *  Ibid,  p.  417. 


EZEA    AND    NEHBMIAH. 

To  remove  the  mounds  of  rubbish  from  the  broken  parts 
of  the  walls,  and  dress  the  stones  afresh,  involved  immense 
labour;  for  the  number  of  workmen  and  labourers  was 
limited  in  so  small  a  population,^  and  there  were  no 
funds  with  which  to  hire  outside  help.  Everything  had 
to  be  done  by  the  people  themselves.  The  whole  circuit 
of  the  walls  needed  repair  or  entire  rebuilding,  and  the 
gateways,  when  finished,  required  huge  broad-leaved 
gates,  with  their  massive  bars,  bolts,  and  locks.  The 
thickness  and  height  of  the  defences,  and  the  irregu- 
larities of  the  ground,  made  the  task  still  heavier.  As 
a  whole,  the  community  was  in  an  admirable  mood,  but 
the  oppressive  toil  under  a  fierce  sun  and  with  imper- 
fect appliances,^  soon  broke  down  not  a  few,  even  before 
the  rubbish  had  been  cleared  away.^ 

Another  difficulty  was  even  more  serious.  While  some 
of  the  volunteer  labourers  and  workmen  were  well-to-do, 
others  depended  on  their  earnings,  and  in  the  present 
case,  no  wages  were  paid  to  any  one.  Many  were  thus 
reduced  to  the  direst  straits  to  support  themselves  and 
their  families,  and  pay  the  taxes  exacted  by  the  Persian 
Government.  That  they  did  not  withdraw  from  Nehe- 
miah's  service  and  seek  remunerative  employment,  seems 
to  show  that  they  were  pressed  for  the  work,  as  their 
fathers  had  been  under  Solomon,  and  dared  not  leave 
it.  At  such  a  time,  universal  good  feeling  might  have 
been  expected.  The  simple  wants  of  Orientals  are 
easily  satisfied.  There  were  rich  men  in  Jerusalem,  and 
in  any  Western  nation  a  fund  would  have  been  raised  by 
these  for  the  maintenance  of  their  brethren,  toiling  for 
the   common  good.      But  instead   of  this,   the  wealthy 

1  Neh.  iv.  2,  10. 

2  Baskets  filled  by  hand  are  still  used  in  the   East,  even  in 
digging  out  huge  canal- beds.  *  Neh.  iv.  10. 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  497 

seized  the  cliarice  of  driving  shameful  bargains  with 
the  starving  workers.  In  spite  of  the  strict  prohibition 
of  usury,  by  the  Law/  money  for  food  was  doled  out  only 
in  return  for  mortgages  on  the  small  farms,  vineyards, 
oliveyards,  and  houses,  of  the  peasant  labourers,  or  for 
the  personal  liberty  of  their  sons  and  daughters,  who  thus 
became  slaves.  To  get  bread  and  oil,  and  to  pay  the 
taxes,  debts  were  thus  incurred  which  could  never  be^met. 
Children  and  land,  alike,  were  virtually  lost.  Conduct 
equally  disgraceful  had  been  shown  to  the  exiles  first  car- 
ried off  by  Nebuchadnezzar.  Their  brethren  left  behind 
had  bought  up  their  goods  and  property  for  a  trifle,  in- 
stead of  generously  paying  a  fair  value  for  them,  to  help 
the  unfortunates  in  the  land  of  their  banishment.  Human 
nature  is  very  much  the  same  everywhere,  but  I  do  not 
remember  another  instance  of  such  greed  of  money  and 
meanness  of  soul  as  these  two  cases  exhibited.  The  pro- 
fessions of  penitence  and  reform  under  Ezra  had  clearly 
been  worthless  in  too  many  cases — mere  waves  of  excited 
feeling,  very  soon  passing  away. 

Such  heartlessness  on  the  one  side,  and  misery  on  the 
other,  roused  the  generous  indignation  of  Nehemiah. 
Calling  together  the  money  lenders,  he  rebuked  them 
sternly,  and  then  summoned  them  to  appear  before  a 
general  assembly  of  the  citizens.  There  he  turned  on 
them  with  scathing  words.  He,  himself,  he  told  them, 
had,  to  his  utmost,  redeemed  Jewish  slaves  from  the 
heathen,  but  they  were  buying  and  selling  their  brethren. 
Let  them  at  once  cancel  all  their  bonds, "^  and  give  back 
the  property  they  had  taken,  remitting  the  debts  due  to 
them.     If  they  could  be  paid  hereafter,  without  interest, 

*  Exod.  xxii.  24.     Lev.  xxv.  36.  , 

2  Instead  of  "also  the  hundredth  part  of  the  money"  (Neh.  v. 
11),  read  "  remit  this  exaction  of  a  pledge." 

VOL.    VI.  K   K 


498  EZEA   AND   NEHEMIAH. 

as  the  debtors  were  able,  let  it  be  so ;  if  not^  let  them 
be  a  free  gift.  He,  his  assistants,  and  his  retinue, 
might  demand  money  and  corn,  but  neither  he  nor  they 
did  so.  Let  all  that  was  needed  be  freely  advanced  to 
every  one  now.  Would  they  forget  the  fear  of  God,  and 
bring  down  the  reproach  of  the  heathen  on  the  whole 
Jewish  community  ?  Forced  by  very  shame  to  comply, 
the  offenders  consented  to  follow  Nehemiah's  counsel, 
and  were  bound  to  their  assent  by  a  solemn  oath  ad- 
ministered by  the  priests.^  "  So  let  every  man  who  does 
not  stand  to  his  promise,  be  shaken  by  God  out  of  his 
house  and  earnings,'*  cried  Nehemiah,  shaking  out  his 
robe  as  he  did  so. 

The  difficulties  from  without  were  no  less  formidable 
than  those  in  Jerusalem  itself.  The  unwise  narrowness 
of  Zerubbabel,  followed  by  the  still  harsher  dismissal  of 
non-Jewish  wives  by  Ezra,  had  excited  a  furious  hatred 
toward  the  Hebrew  community.  Three  enemies,  espe- 
cially, threatened  its  very  existence.  The  foremost  of 
these  was  Sanballat,  "the  Horonite,*'  or  inhabitant  of 
Bethhoron,  formerly  part  of  the  territory  of  Ephraim,  ^ 
but  in  Nehemiah's  day  included  in  Samaria.^  His 
name  has  been  thought  to  mean  "  man  of  Neballat,'' 
a  village  about  four  miles  north-west  of  Lydda,*  and 
about  fifteen  miles  slightly  south-east  of  Joppa,  on 
the  western  slope  of  the  central  hills. ^  He  appears 
to  have  been  the  Persian  governor  of  the  Samaritan 
district,  or  at  least  to  have  held  some  civil  or  mili- 
tary command.  Josephus  calls  him  a  Samaritan  or 
"  Cuthean  ''  by  birth,  ^  but,  in  any  case,  he  was  not  a 
Jew.      At   this  time   he  had  no  personal  relations  with 

1  Neh.  V.  12.  2  Jos.  xvi.  3,  5 ;  xviii.  13. 

*  Bertheau.  *  Kneucker,  Bih.  Lex.,  vol.  iv.  p.  306. 

*  See  vol.  ii.  p.  415.  «  Jos.,  Ant,  XL  vii.  2,  8. 


EZEA   AND   NEHEMIAH.  499 

Jerusalem ;  but  he  subsequently  married  his  daughter, 
Nicaso,  to  Mauasseh,  a  grandson  of  the  high  priest 
Eliashib,  apparently  while  Nehemiah  was  absent  in 
Persia.^  It  is  not  improbable  that  he  had  already 
risen  to  be  the  Persian  governor  on  the  north  of  Judah. 
Energetic,  influential,  and  keen  tongued,  he  was  the 
leading  spirit  in  the  opposition  to  Nehemiah  from  with- 
out.^ A  second  in  the  bitter  triumvirate  was  Tobiah, 
an  Ammonite,  originally,  it  would  seem,  a  slave,  ^  but 
now  in  a  high  position  as  satrap,  or  Persian  resident,  in 
Ammon,  across  the  Jordan.  Such  elevations,  though 
strange  to  us,  are  common  in  Eastern  despotisms.  His 
fierce  opposition  to  the  fortification  of  Jerusalem  excited 
against  him  the  special  dislike  of  Nehemiah,  who  seldom 
mentions  his  name  without  contemptuously  adding,  "  the 
slave."  Unfortunately,  he  had  allies  of  high  social 
position  in  Jerusalem  itself;  the  stern  puritanism  of  Ezra 
and  Nehemiah  being  resented  by  many  leading  families. 
Into  one  of  these — a  dignified  priestly  household — Tobiah 
married,  and  he  was  also  able  to  make  a  similar  union 
for  his  son.^  Through  these  channels  he  kept  up  com- 
munications with  the  disafi*ected  party  within  the  walls, 
and  thus,  in  a  measure,  paralyzed  Nehemiah,  by  the  proof 
of  treachery  even  among  those  round  him,  from  whom  he 
should  have  received  the  most  hearty  support.  The  third 
open  enemy  was  Gashma,  or  Geshem,  ^' the  Arabian,"^ 
who    seems  to  have    been   chief  of  the  Arabs   south  of 

1  Jos.,  Ant,  XI.  vii.  2.     Neh.  xiii.  28.     Ewald,  vol.  v.  p.  213. 

2  Ezra  iv.  23  ;  Neh.  iv.  2 ;  Stanleij,  vol.  iii.  p.  133 ;  and  W.  A. 
Wright,  Diet  of  Bible,  vol.  iii.  p.  1522,  speak  of  Sanballat  as  a 
Moabite,  making  "the  Horonite  "  =  nian  of  Horonaim  in  ]\roab. 
Bub  he  certainly  would  have  been  called  the  Moabite  had  he  been 
of  that  hated  race.  3  jj^q]^^  ^  iq,  19. 

*  Neh.  iv.  3,  6,  12,  14,  17,  18 ;  xiii.  4,  7. 
»  Neh.  ii.  19;  vL  1,2,6. 


600  EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

Palestine,  and,  as  Ewald  thinks,  possibly  the  founder  of 
the  future  Nabathean  kingdom.  For  the  time  he  was 
an  active  ally  of  Sanballat  and  Tobiah. 

On  receiving  intelligence  of  NehemiaVs  appointment 
by  the  Persian  court,  Sanballat  and  Tobiah  had  been 
greatly  annoyed,  but  they  did  not  dare  openly  to  oppose 
the  firman  of  Artaxerxes.^  Nor  did  they  believe  that 
the  project  of  rebuilding  the  walls,  already  broken  down, 
perhaps  more  than  once,  since  the  Return,  could  be 
seriously  entertained  by  so  feeble  a  community.  Mock- 
ing its  weakness  before  his  officials  and  the  Persian 
garrison  of  Samaria,  Sanballat  pretended  to  wonder  what 
the  citizens  meant,  to  begin  such  a  task.  '*  Will  they 
leave  it  in  the  hands  of  God  ?  Or  raise  the  walls  by 
offering  sacrifices  ?  Will  they  get  a  miracle  done  for 
them,  to  finish  the  walls  in  a  day  ?  Will  they  make  the 
rubbish  heaps  come  out  themselves,  as  if  alive?"  "You 
don't  need  to  be  afraid, '^  answered  Tobiah,  joining 
this  ridicule;  "a  jackal  climbing  up  over  any  work  they 
may  do,  will  knock  it  all  down ''  !  Taunts  and  jibes  like 
these  stung  Nehemiah  to  the  quick.  But  he  was  not 
the  man  to  be  turned  aside  by  a  laugh.  Uttering  a 
bitter  malediction  on  the  mockers,^  he  pressed  on  his 
task  more  vigorously  than  ever. 

Thanks  to  his  energy,  and  the  willing  zeal  of  the  peo- 
ple, much  of  the  ruins  was  cleared  away,  the  gaps  in  the 
walls  filled  up,  and  the  whole  enterprise  well  advanced. 
The  possibility  of  his  success  was  thus  no  longer  doubt- 
ful, if  his  progress  could  not  be  quickly  stopped  by  open 
violence.  A  league  was  therefore  formed  between  San- 
ballat, Tobiah,  the  Arabs,  the  Ammonites,  and  the 
Philistines  of  Ashdod,  to  attack  Jerusalem,  and  destroy 
what  had  been  done.  But  Nehemiah,  well  served  by 
1  Neh.  ii.  10.  ^  ;^q\^^  j^^  4.5^ 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  501 

his  spies,  posted  sentinels  and  pickets,  and  "  made  prayer 
to  God,"  and  urged  on  the  builders.  It  was  the  crisis 
of  the  undertaking".  So  many  workmen  being  withdrawn 
to  furnish  guards,  day  and  night,  the  officials  had  at  last 
to  report  that  the  toil  of  clearing  away  the  mounds  of  rub- 
bish, to  let  the  masons  get  to  work,  and  of  carrying  the 
stones  for  them,  had  completely  worn  out  the  labourers, 
and  that  the  building  of  the  wall  must  stop.  Mean- 
while, Jews  from  the  country  districts  disclosed  the 
power  of  the  enemy  and  their  threatening  designs,  and 
urged  their  brethren  from  different  localities  to  return 
liome.^  The  foe,  it  was  said,  would  burst  upon  them 
suddenly,  and  put  an  end  to  the  work  by  a  general 
mnssacre.  But  Nehemiah  was  not  to  be  daunted.  Sum- 
moning all  the  men  able  to  bear  arms,  and  giving  them 
swords,  spears,  and  bows,  he  set  them  in  such  open 
spaces  behind  the  walls  as  were  weakest.  They  could 
thus  guard  the  most  dangerous  spots,  and  while  at  once 
seeing  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  also  show  that  they 
were  prepared  for  hira.^  Nor  did  he  omit  stirring  ap- 
peals to  all,  to  fight  manfully  for  hearth  and  altar. 
Such  vigour  had  the  success  it  deserved.  The  allies 
soon  heard  of  the  measures  taken  to  baffle  them,  and, 
seeing  their  plans  discovered,  disbanded  their  men.  But 
there  was  no  relaxation  of  vigilance  on  the  part  of 
Nehemiah.  Half  of  the  people  were  kept  at  the  building 
of  the  walls,  from  the  earliest  dawn  till  the  appearing 
of  the  stars,  ^  their  swords  at  their  side  and  their  spears 
near  at  hand,  while  the  other  half,  fully  armed,  kept 
watch  behind,  their  leaders  with  them ;  Nehemiah,  ever 
wakeful,  and    everywhere    present,  having    a  trumpeter 

*  I   have  incorporated  the  renderings  of  Neh.  iv.  12,  given  by 
Herzfeid,  Beitheau,  and  Keil. 
2  Neh.  iv.  13.  »  Neh.  iv.  21.     Heh. 


602  EZEA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

at  his  side,  to  souDd  an  alarm  on  the  instant,  if  needed. 
At  night  only  a  portion  of  the  guard  remained  on  duty, 
the  rest  taking  sleep,  to  be  ready  for  the  next  day. 
Neither  Nehemiah,  however,  nor  his  household,  nor  body- 
guard, ever  took  off  their  clothes.^ 

Fired  by  such  enthusiasm  "  the  people  had  a  mind  to 
work,^'  and  the  w^alls  rapidly  drew  near  completion.  It 
only  remained  to  hang  the  great  two-leaved  doors  in 
the  gate-spaces.  Sanballat  and  Tobiah,  hitherto  foiled, 
determined,  therefore,  to  make  a  last  effort  to  effect 
their  purpose.  Pretending  to  wish  a  conference  with 
Nehemiah,  they  invited  him  to  come  out  to  them,  to  Ono 
— the  present  village  of  Ana — on  the  Maritime  Plain, 
about  thirty  miles  north-west  of  Jerusalem,^  their  object 
being  to  take  him  prisoner.  This  transparent  device 
was  repeated  four  times,  but  the  only  answer  given  by 
Nehemiah  was  that  he  could  not  allow  the  work  to  cease 
by  any  such  visit.  An  open  letter  from  Sanballat, 
pretending  a  friendly  interest  in  the  governor,  was  the 
next  scheme.  Rumours  were  everywhere  afloat,  he  said, 
that  rebellion  against  Persia  was  intended,  Nehemiah 
himself  designing  to  be  proclaimed  king,  as  soon  as  the 
walls  were  finished.  Prophets,  the  letter  went  on,  had 
been  appointed  by  him  to  prepare  the  people  for  this. 
It  was  desirable,  therefore,  that  he  should  come  out  and 
consult  with  Sanballat.  But  he  was  too  shrewd  to  be 
thus  easily  trapped.  There  was  no  truth,  he  said,  in  the 
alleged  reports.  They  were  only  inventions.  He  would 
not  come. 

Yet  there  was  much  to  make  a  less  earnest  man  blench 

in   his   purpose.       Traitors    were  busy   within   the   city. 

A  number  of  prophets,  and  even  a  prophetess,  Noadiah, 

had  been  bribed  by   Sanballat  and  Tobiah,   to   stir  up 

^  Neh.  iv.  23.  ^  Conder  and  Kiepert's  Map. 


EZRA   AND   NEHEMIAH.  603 

discontent  among  the  citizens  and  hamper  Nehemiah.^ 
Some  of  the  chief  citizens,  moreover,  influenced  by 
Tobiah's  marriage  connections/  kept  up  an  active  cor- 
respondence with  him,  sending  him  letters  and  receiving 
replies.^  Every  word  of  Nehemiah  was  reported  to  the 
enemy.*  One  treacherous  prophet,  shutting  himself  up 
in  his  house,  as  if  in  terror  of  his  life,  warned  the 
governor  that  he  knew  of  his  murder  in  the  night  being 
determined,  and  urged  that  the  two  should  retire  into 
the  Holy  Place  of  the  Temple  for  security,  and  shut  the 
doors.  But  this  scheme  also  failed.  "  Should  a  man 
in  his  position  flee  ?  "  replied  Nehemiah.  Moreover,  the 
Holy  Place  was  not  to  be  entered  by  a  layman.  How 
could  he,  therefore,  enter  it  and  live  ?  He  would  not  go.^ 
The  walls  having  at  last  been  finished,  the  gates  set 
up,  and  a  body  of  guards  for  them  and  those  of  the 
Temple  duly  organized,^  Nehemiah  appointed  his  brother 
Hanaui,  and  a  trusted  and  devout  oflicer  named  Hana- 
niah,  the  commandant  of  the  Persian  fortress  at  the 
north  edge  of  the  Temple  precincts,  as  joint  prefects 
of  the  city.  In  ordinary  times  the  Temple  guards  alone 
protected  the  sanctuary  and  its  grounds,  opening  and 
closing  the  gates.     But  at  such  a  crisis,  the  singers  and 

'  Neh.  vi.  14. 

2  Neh.  vi.  18.  Of  these  Shecaniah  was  a  prominent  man  of  the 
great  family  of  Arah  (Ezra  ii.  5).  MeshuUam  (Neh.  iii.  4-30)  was 
cue  of  the  helpers  in  repairing  the  walls.  Eliashib,  the  higii 
priest,  was  also  allied  to  Tobiah  (Neh.  xiii.  4).  Tobiah  means 
"  pleasing  to  Jehovah."  His  son's  name,  Johanan  means  '*  given 
by  Jehovah,"  so  that  it  is  the  equivalent  of  Theodore.  They  were 
probably  Israelites  of  one  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  but  had  apparently 
been  settled,  perhaps  for  generations,  in  Ammon  (Neh.  ii.  10). 

3  Neh.  vi.  17.  ^  Neh.  vi.  19. 

5  Neh.  vi.  10-12.     For  " to  save  his  life,"  read  "and  live." 
«  1  Chron.  ix.  17-27;  xxvi.  12-19. 


504  EZEA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

the  Levites  were  told  off  to  strengthen  them.  Orders 
were  further  issued,  that  the  gates  of  the  city  were  not 
to  be  opened  till  the  sun  was  high,  and  the  day  warders 
had  mounted  guard,  in  place  of  those  who  had  been  on 
duty  through  the  night.  They,  in  their  turn  were  to  be 
relieved,  after  the  gates  were  closed  and  barred  at  sunset. 
The  citizens,  moreover,  were  required  to  patrol  the  town 
as  night  watchmen,  each  in  his  own  quarter.^ 

A  serious  difficulty,  however,  still  remained.  The  cir- 
cuit of  the  walls  was  great,  but  the  houses  within  were  few 
and  sparse,  so  that  great  vacant  spaces  of  ruins  separated 
the  small  population  and  weakened  their  powers  of 
defence.  The  prudent  governor,  therefore,  resolved  to 
increase  the  number  of  citizens,  by  transferring  families 
from  the  country  to  Jerusalem,  that  their  dwellings 
might  fill  up  the  unsightly  gaps  in  the  streets,  and  the 
number  of  burgesses  able  to  man  the  walls  be  effectively 
increased. 

A  public  register  of  the  whole  Jewish  community  in 
the  land,  carefully  drawn  np  under  Zerub':)abel,  afforded 
a  trustworthy  basis  for  the  projected  measure.  To 
make  it  complete,  an  assembly  of  the  people  was 
summoned,  that  all  who  had  joined  the  colony  since 
Zerubbabel's  census  might  be  added  to  it.^  The  time 
chosen  was  the  seventh  month — part  of  our  Septem- 
ber and  October — the  same  month  as  that  in  which  the 
great  public  assembly  had  been  held,  years  before,  to 
consecrate  the  new  altar,  and  restore  the  long  interrupted 
sacrifices.^  On  the  present  occasion,  however,  it  was 
determined  to  take  advantage  of  the  gathering  of  the 
people,  for  other  weighty  national  objects.     Besides  the 

1  Neh.  vii.  3. 

2  Neh.  vii.  5.  Nehemiah  gives  the  register  taken  at  first  ia 
vii.  5-73.     Ezra  ii.  *  Ezra  iii.  1. 


EZRA   AND   NEHEMIAH.  505 

filling  up  of  the  family  registration,  various  measures 
of  the  highest  importance  demanded  action. 

The  Puritan  fervour  which  had  led  to  the  Eeturn, 
though  it  had  lost  much  of  its  deep  religious  feeling,  still 
continued  in  all  its  intensity  as  a  national  sentiment. 
The  cessation  of  Temple  worship  during  the  Exile,  and 
the  abhorrence  of  idolatry  brought  about  by  the  prophets, 
turned  attention  more  than  ever  before  to  the  sacred 
writings  of  the  race.  The  Law  was  already  the  object  of 
superstitious  veneration;  the  Temple  and  its  sacrifices 
taking  only  a  second  place  in  the  public  regard.  Schools 
for  its  study,  established  by  Ezra  and  his  disciples, 
had  spread  widely  in  Babylon.  The  new  order  of  scribes 
were  unceasing  in  their  efforts  to  indoctrinate  the  whole 
people  with  what  they  believed  to  be  its  teaching.  It 
was  resolved,  therefore,  that  at  this  first  public  gathering 
of  Judah,  after  the  restoration  of  the  city  walls,  the  reading 
^and  exposition  of  the  Law  should  have  the  first  place. 
The  people  themselves  desired  it.  To  attract  every  one, 
a  great  feast  was  appointed  to  be  held  for  the  solemn 
dedication  of  the  newly  built  city  walls.  On  the  day 
fixed,  the  whole  population  assembled  at  Jerusalem,  even 
the  women  leaving  their  wonted  seclusion,  and  bringing 
their  children  with  them.  Before  the  festival  opened, 
liowever,  a  request  was  formally  made  through  the  elders, 
that  the  Law  might  be  read  aloud  to  the  whole  assembly, 
by  Ezra  and  his  assistants.^  All  were  intensely  anxious 
to  hear  the  words  that  God  had  spoken  from  the  Mount 
to  their  fathers. 

The    request    was    too  thoroughly   gratifying    to    the 

Reformer  to  be  for  a   moment  denied.     The  open  space 

before  the  water  gate,  on  the  south-east   of  the   Temple, 

was   appointed    for  the  solemn    gathering,   and    thither, 

»  Neh.  viii.  3. 


606  EZRA    AND    NEHEMIAH. 

at  the  time  fixed,  Ezra  and  his  colleagues  presented 
themselves.  A  pulpit — the  first  of  which  we  know — 
had  been  erected  for  them,  that  they  might  be  the  better 
heard,  and  on  this  Ezra  took  his  place  in  the  early 
morning  ^  of  the  day  of  the  seventh  new  moon — famous 
from  of  old  for  its  feast  of  trumpet-blowing,  as  specially 
holy,^  and  from  the  remotest  times  a  season  of  lioly 
assembly  and  cessation  of  work.  Thirteen  priests  stood 
around  him,  as  he  unrolled  from  right  to  left  a  loug 
scroll  of  the  Law  brought  with  him  from  Chaldea.     The 

multitude,  till  then  sit- 
ting, in  Eastern  fashion, 
on  the  ground,  instantly 
rose  at  the  sight  of  the 
Sacred  Book,  and  stood 
reverently  to  hear  its 
words.  Prayer  fitly 
opened  a  service  so  holy, 
the  voice  of  Ezra  first 
breaking  the  silence  by 
"  blessing  Jehovah,  the 
great  God.^'  An  ancient 
psalm  appears  to  have  supplied  the  words — during  the 
utterance  of  which  the  people  joined  in  adoration,  with 
uplifted  hands  and  loud  A  mens,  bowing  their  heads, 
and  worshipping  with  their  faces  to  the  earth,  at  each 
pause  and  at  the  close.  Ezra  then  read  a  portion  of 
the  Law,  after  which  a  body  of  thirteen  Levites,  skilled 
in  its  exposition,  as  disciples  of  the  great  scribe,  ex- 
plained its  meaning^  to  the  vast   crowd,  amidst  which 

1  From  the  dawn,  or  "  licrht."     Neh.  viii.  3. 

2  Lev.  xxiii.  22-25.     Niitn.  xxix.  1-6. 

^  Expanding  and  simplifying  the  words.     Yitringa,  Be  Sj/nag. 
Vet.,  p.  420. 


Bowing  the  Head. 


EZRA   AND   NEHEMIAH. 


507 


they  were  apparently  stationed  at  various  points.^  A 
second  portion  was  then  read  by  Ezra,  followed  by  a 
second  explanation/  and  thus  the  time  passed,  from 
sunrise  till  the  fierce  midday  heat  compelled  a  temporary 
cessation.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  deep  attention  of 
the  people.  For  at  least  six  hours  they  stood  with 
covered  heads,  eagerly  listening  to  Ezra,  and  to  the 
scribes  who  commented  on  the  sacred  text  he  read.^ 
The  excitement  was  intense.  In  past  ages  their  fathers 
had  neglected  the  holy  words  spoken  to  the  nation  by 
God,  or  written  by  His 
inspiration,  and  this 
had  brought  on  them 
all  the  misery  of  As- 
syrian and  Babylonian 
slavery.  Henceforward 
there  should  be  no  such 
terrible  mistake.  The 
Temple  and  its  services 
might  still  be  dear  to 
them,  but  not  more  so 
than  the  knowledge  and 
observance  of  the  Law. 
The  scribes  became 
from  this  time  the  foremost  body  in  the  land.  It  had 
hitherto  boasted  of  its  Temple  :  it  would  henceforth  boast 
also  of  the  Torah.  Modern  history  offers  as  the  most 
vivid  parallel  to  the  scene,  the  eagerness  of  England  or 
Germany  for  the  Scriptures  in  the  sixteenth  century,  when 

^  Neh.  viii.  4-7. 

2  Neh.  viii.  8. 

^  Vitringa  says  it  had  always  been  the  cnsfcom  to  stand  during 
the  leading  of  the  Law,  but  this  is  not  stated  in  Scripture.  De 
Synag.  Vet,  p.  167. 


508  EZRA   AND   NEHEMIAH. 

they  were  restored  by  the  Reformers  to  their  rightful 
place  in  the  Church,  after  the  neglect  of  centuries. 

The  contrast  between  their  own  practice  and  the  re- 
quirements of  the  Law,  as  laid  down  by  the  scribes, 
alarmed  all.  It  seemed  as  if  calamities  like  those  from 
which  they  had  suffered  in  the  past,  must  visit  them 
again  for  their  shortcomings.  Far  and  near  rose  loud 
weeping.  Confessions  and  lamentations  filled  the  air. 
But  it  was  no  time  for  sorrow ;  that  would  come  after. 
It  was  a  day  holy  to  Jehovah ;  there  must  be  no  tears  to 
mar  its  joy.  Nehemiah,  Ezra  and  the  Levitical  Rabbis, 
his  colleagues,  alike  protested  against  any  sadness. 
They  must  rather  hold  a  festival,  and  eat  the  fat,  and 
drink  the  sweet,  and  send  portions  to  them  who  had  none. 

The  next  day  saw  the  chiefs  of  clans,  the  priests,  and 
Levites,  collected  round  Ezra  for  a  further  study  of  the 
Law.  The  portion  read  included  the  account  of  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles,^  with  its  preparation  of  booths  of 
twigs  and  branches.  It  was  the  very  time  for  this  great 
festival  being  held.  They  would  forthwith  celebrate  it 
with  all  exactness.  Orders  were,  therefore,  sent  through 
the  whole  country,  that  the  people  should  gather  from  the 
hill  sides,  branches  of  olives,  oleasters  or  wild  olives,  and 
myrtles,  and  palms,  and  bring  them  to  Jerusalem,  to 
make  the  booths  required.  Originally  commemorating 
the  wilderness  life  in  tents,  it  had  become,  in  later  times, 
the  great  harvest  festival  of  the  year,  to  express  the 
national  gratitude  to  Jehovah  for  His  bounty  in  creating 
for  man,  once  more,  the  fruits  of  the  earth.  The  en- 
thusiasm was  boundless.  Huts  were  raised  everywhere; 
on  the  flat  roofs,  in  the  courts  of  the  houses,  in  the 
Temple  precincts,  and  in  the  vacant  spaces  before  the 
city  gates.  The  feast  had  been  celebrated  at  the  con- 
»  Lev.  xxiii.  39-48. 


EZRA    AND    NEHEMIAH.  509 

secration  of  Solomon's  Temple/  and  in  the  first  year  of 
the  Return^  but  never  so  exactly,  in  all  its  legal  details, 
or  so  universally,  since  the  time  of  Joshua.^ 

Its  successive  days  passed  amidst  high  rejoicing;  the 
mornings  devoted  to  hearing  more  of  the  Law  read  by 
Ezra;  the  rest  of  the  day  to  festivities.  At  last,  after  a 
week  of  gladness,  it  closed  with  a  solemn  assembly  of 
the  whole  people,  all  work  ceasing  and  solemn  sacrifices 
being  ottered.  ^ 

The  people  were  not,  however,  allowed  to  separate 
without  a  formal  renewal  of  the  covenant  with  Jehovah, 
so  often  made  before  by  their  fathers.  Two  days  after 
the  close  of  the  feast,*  a  solemn  fast  was  held  ;  the  mul- 
titude assembling,  clad  in  sackcloth,  with  earth  on  their 
heads,  as  a  sign  of  mourning.  Once  more,  portions  of 
tlie  Law  were  read  aloud,  but  only  for  three  hoars,  not  as 
hitherto,  for  six.  Public  confession  by  all,  of  their  sins 
and  the  sins  of  their  fathers,  succeeded.  This  ended,  the 
scribes  ascended  a  special  platform  erected  for  them,^ 
and  opened  the  service  of  the  day  by  "  crying  with  a 
loud  voice  to  Jehovah,  their  God."  The  vast  assembly 
was  then  summoned  to  rise  from  the  ground  and  praise 
the  Lord  in  a  triumphal  chant,  led,  no  doubt,  by  the 
Levitical  choir  and  musicians.  One  of  the  leaders,  prob- 
ably Ezra,  now  led  the  multitude  in  prayer,  recounting 
the  wonderful  ways  of  God  to  His  people  in  the  past, 
their  hardness  of  heart.  His  pitying  mercy,  their  frequent 
apostasy  and  just  punishment.  They  were  slaves  in  the 
land  promised  to  their  fathers.  It  yielded  a  large  revenue 
to  the  kings  (of  Persia)  whom  God  had  set  over  them 
for  their  sins.     These  potentates  indeed,   he  continued, 

*  2  Chron.  vii.  9.    1  Kings  viii.  65.  "  Ezra  iii.  4. 

3  Neh.  viii.  17.  ^  Neh.  viii.  18.    Lev.  xxiii.  36. 

'  Neh.  X.  1.  «  Neh.  ix.  4. 


510  EZEA   AND   NEHEMIAH. 

did  as  they  pleased,  not  only  with  the  produce  of  the 
soil,  but  with  the  population  at  large,  takiug  them  at 
their  will  to  serve  in  their  wars,  and  carrying  off  their 
cattle  for  their  baggage  waggons  and  for  food,  so  that 
the  land  was  in  great  distress.  All  this  humiliation  and 
misery  was  the  just  punishment  for  having  forsaken 
Jehovah.  The  whole  people  must,  therefore,  once  moi'e 
solemnly  renew  their  covenant  to  serve  Him,  and  Him 
only,  that  He  might  send  them  prosperity. 

A  formal  document  had  been  prepared,  binding  all 
henceforth  to  fidelity  to  the  national  faith,  and  to  this 
the  leaders  of  the  community  forthwith  appended  their 
signatures,  beginning  with  Nehemiah  as  the  head  of  the 
little  state.  Princes,  Levites,  priests,  and  the  chiefs  of 
the  clans  and  sab-clans,  as  representatives  of  the  people, 
followed.  The  whole  assembly,  moreover,  took  an  oath 
to  obey  the  Law  of  Moses — people,  priests,  Levites,  the 
guard  of  the  Temple  gates,  the  singers,  the  Nethinim, 
or  Temple  slaves.  Many  descendants  of  the  Hebrews, 
left  in  Palestine  at  the  time  of  the  Captivity,  took  this 
opportunity  to  unite  themselves  formally  with  Judah, 
definitely  separating  from  all  such  relations  to  the 
heathen  population  of  the  country,  as  compromised  their 
ceremonial  or  legal  purity. 

The  covenant  thus  adopted  with  a  solemn  oath,  which 
was  heightened  by  a  curse  on  its  transgression,  embodied 
the  strict  views  of  the  Law  advanced  by  Ezra  and  his 
colleagues.  No  intermarriage  with  non- Israelites  was 
to  be  tolerated.  No  purchases  were  to  be  made  on  a 
Sabbath  or  holy  day,  and  on  these  seasons  no  goods  or 
provisions  were  to  be  exposed  for  sale  by  the  heathen 
traders  from  outside.  The  land  was,  further,  to  be  left 
fallow  on  the  seventh  year,  as  commanded  in  Exodus,^ 
»  Exod.  xxiii.  10. 


EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH.  611 

and  all  debts  were  to  be  then  remitted.  That  year,  was,  in 
fact,  to  limit  the  claims  of  a  creditor.  In  Exodus  ^  it  had 
been  ordained  that  a  voluntary  tax  of  half  a  shekel 
should  be  paid  yearly  by  every  Israelite  over  twenty,  for 
the  support  of  the  Temple  ;  it  was  now  enacted  that 
this  tax  should,  henceforward,  be  carefully  levied,  but  in 
consideration  of  the  general  poverty,  its  amount  was 
reduced  from  a  half  to  the  third  of  a  shekel.^  The  funds 
thus  secured  were  to  provide  for  the  shew-bread,  the 
meal  offerings,  and  burnt  offerings — including  those  on  the 
Sabbaths,  new  moons,  and  periodical  feasts — and  also  for 
thank  offerings  presented  in  the  name  of  the  congrega- 
tion, and  public  trespass  offerings,  with  other  expenses 
of  the  Temple.  Moreover,  to  secure  a  regular  supply  of 
wood  proper  for  the  nltar,  the  priests,  Levites,  and  people, 
were  assigned  their  respective  turns  in  bringing  it  to 
the  Temple.  Similar  arrangements  were  also  made  for 
bringing  thither  the  first  fruits  of  the  soil  and  of  fruit 
trees,^  for  presenting  firstborn  sons  ^  and  the  firstborn 
of  cattle,  that  they  might  be  redeemed  °  and  for  sending 
in  the  firstlings  of  sheep  and  goats,  the  fat  of  which  was 
to  be  burnt  on  the  altar,  while  the  flesh  went  to  the 
priests.^  Measures  were  also  taken  for  the  payment  of 
the  first  fruits  of  coarse  meal^  and  heave  offerinofs  of 
wheat  and  barley  ^  and  of  other  fruits  and  produce,  in- 
cluding wine  and  oil.®  These  were  all  to  be  brought 
to  the  priest,  that  they  might  be  stored  in  the  proper 
chambers  in  the  Temple  precincts,  whence  they  were 
to  be  served  out  to  the  priests,  for  their  support. 

^  Exod.  xxx.  13. 

2  Still  paid  in  the  time  of  Christ.     Matt.  xvii.  24. 

3  Exod.  xxiii.  19  ;  xxxiv.  16.    Dent.  xxvi.  2.        ^  Num.  xviii.  16. 
*  Exod.  xiii.  12.     Num.  xviii.  15.  *  Num.  xviii.  17. 

?  Num.  XV.  20.  8  Exod.  xlv   13.  »  Num.  xviii.  12. 


512  EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

In  the  same  way  the  tithes  were  to  be  brought  in 
for  the  sustenance  of  the  Levites  on  duty  in  Jerusalem, 
members  of  the  order  in  country  towns  being  cared  for 
from  the  same  source,  by  other  arrangements.  To  secure 
exactness,  a  priest  was  to  attend,  with  a  Levite,  when 
these  payments  were  delivered,  and  was  to  see  that  a 
tenth  of  all  tithes  was  handed  over  to  the  priests  as  a 
body,  to  supplement  their  other  revenues.  Similarly,  the 
people  and  the  Levites  were  to  deliver  at  the  Temple  all 
heave  offerings  of  grain,  wine,  and  oil,  to  be  put  away 
in  the  sacred  storehouses;  since  the  priests,  Temple 
guards,  and  singers,  for  whose  sustenance  they  were  in 
a  measure  to  serve,  were  employed  in  the  holy  bounds, 
and  the  sacred  vessels  in  which  part  of  them  was  to  be 
offered,  were  also  kept  in  the  Temple. 

Snch  was  the  covenant  now  entered  into  by  the  whole 
community.  In  former  times,  similar  transactions  had 
exclusively  referred  to  general  fidelity  to  Jehovah;  the 
minuteness  with  which  the  interests  of  the  Temple,  tlie 
priests,  the  Levites,  and  all  the  Temple  officials,  were 
now  guarded,  marked  the  overpowering  influence  and 
authority  of  Ezra,  and  the  different  spirit  of  the  age. 

These  matters  being  settled,  the  way  was  at  last  clear  ^ 
to  carry  out  the  change  already  projected,  of  trans- 
planting part  of  the  country  population  to  Jerusalem, 
to  add  to  its  dignity,  and  guard  it  against  surprise  by 
providing  a  sufficient  force  of  men  able  to  bear  arms,  for 
its  defence.  The  delay  had  been  caused  by  the  deter- 
mination that  only  families  of  pure  Jewish  blood  should 
be  allowed  to  become  citizens.  The  prophets  had  con- 
tinually dwelt  on  this  as  a  characteristic  of  the  holy  city^ 

^  Neh.  xi. 

2  Joel  hi.  17.  Isa.  xxxv.  8;  Hi.  1.  Nah.  i.  15.  Zech.  xiv.  21, 
etc. 


EZRA    AND    NEHEMIAH.  513 

in  tlie  Messianic  times,  and  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  were 
only  too  eager  to  secure  the  fulfilment  of  such  pre- 
dictions. The  genealogies  of  the  whole  community 
throughout  the  country  required  strict  examination,  to 
secure  a  complete  list  of  all  who  were  of  unblemished 
Hebrew  descent.  This  having  been  obtained  after  much 
labour,  lots  were  cast  by  all  the  rural  population,  and 
every  tenth  family  thus  selected,  was  required  to  break 
up  its  home  and  remove  permanently  to  Jerusalem. 
Some,  however,  it  would  seem,  on  whom  the  lot  fell, 
were  unwilling  to  go,  but  the  greater  number  cheerfully 
acquiesced  in  the  change  of  home  demanded,  their  ready 
loyalty  to  the  capital  gaining  them  the  plaudits  of  the 
people  at  large.  Such  of  the  Netliinim  and  the  descen- 
dants of  Solomon's  slaves  as  did  not  already  live  in 
Jerusalem,  appear  to  have  been  transplanted  from  the 
country  at  the  same  time,  to  the  suburb  of  Ophel,  south 
of  the  Temple,  but  a  great  number  of  priests  and  Ijevites 
were  allowed  to  remain  in  different  towns,  where  portions 
of  land  had  been  assigned  them.^  Yet,  amidst  all  these 
changes,  signs  of  the  national  subjection  remained  on 
every  hand ;  for  Levites,  singers,  and  people,  had  each 
an  official  set  over  them,  to  watch  after  the  interests 
of  the  Persian  king.- 

It  only  now  remained,  to  dedicate  with  fitting  solemnity, 
the  city  walls — raised  amidst  so  much  opposition,  with 
so  loyal  a  devotion.  To  make  the  ceremony  more  impos- 
ing, messengers  were  sent  through  the  land  to  bring 
to  Jerusalem  all  the  Levites — the  ordinary  ministers  of 
the  Temple — the  musicians,  with  their  cymbals,  harps, 
and  l^^res,  and  the  singers,  in  their  three  great  divisions.^ 
These  last  had  to  be  summoned  from  the  "  circle "  of 
the  Jordan  round  Jericho,  from  Netopha,  fifteen  miles 
'  Neh.  xi.  20.  -  Neh.  xi.  2^.  »  Neh.  xii.  24. 

VOL.    VI.  L  L 


514  EZRA   AND    NEHEMIAH. 

south  of  Jerusalem,  from  Beth  Gil  gal,  eighteen  miles, 
and  from  Geba,  seven  miles  north  of  it,  and  from 
Azmaveth,  a  place  now  unknown.  Open  villages  had 
been  built  by  the  different  choral  fraternities  in  these 
districts,  which  lay  near  enough  to  Jerusalem  to  make 
their  periodical  attendances  in  the  Temple  easy.  In 
further  preparation  for  the  great  event  the  Levites,  now 
minutely  strict  in  their  rites,  on  their  arrival  in  the  holy 
city,  purified  not  only  themselves,  but  the  people,  the 
gates,  and  the  walls,  by  sacrifices,  that  no  ceremonial 
shortcoming  in  the  least  detail  might  lessen  the  sacred- 
ness  of  the  proceedings. 

On  the  appointed  day,  Nehemiah  himself  took  the  lead 
in  the  great  celebration.  The  broad  top  of  the  walls — 
built  on  a  scale  to  allow  fighting  men  to  occupy  them 
in  case  of  a  siege — was  fitly  chosen  for  the  scene  of 
an  impressive  display.  Assembling  the  chiefs  of  the 
priestly  clans,  the  Levites,  and  the  people,  he  marshalled 
them  in  two  great  divisions,  which  advanced  in  opposite 
directions,  to  meet  at  the  open  space  of  the  Temple 
precincts  after  going  round  the  circuit  of  the  walls.  At 
the  head  of  the  one  walked  Nehemiah,  at  that  of  the 
other  Ezra,  the  two  leaders  of  the  community.  A  great 
choir,  giving  thanks,  and  praising  and  blessing  God 
with  songs  and  melodious  music,  followed  in  each  pro- 
cession. The  chiefs  of  the  priests,  the  Levites,  and  the 
laity  came  next — the  priestly  order  in  two  selected  divi- 
sions. Then  followed  other  notable  laymen  of  Judah 
and  Benjamin.  Behind  these  walked  two  other  bodies 
of  priests,  blowing  the  sacred  trumpets.^  Then  came  a 
body  of  Levite  singers  and  musicians,  the  latter  with  the 
instruments  known  as  invented  or  introduced  by  David. 
All  marched  in  their  robes  and  vestments,  or  festive 
*  Neh.  xii.  41. 


KZRA   AND   NEHEMTAH. 


515 


apparel,  filling  the  air  with  loud  rejoicings,  till  the  two 
processions  met  at  last  in  the  open  space  before  the 
Temple.  There  the  whole  participants  in  both  united 
in  a  chorus  of  praise  and  thanksgiving,  the  voices  of  the 
singers  rising  loud  and  clear  above  the  harps  and 
cymbals.^  Tlien  followed  great  sacrifices,  offered  by  the 
priests  on  the  huge  altar  before  the  Holy  Place  in  the 
Temple,  and  with  this  the  solemnities  closed.  The 
people  were  beside  themselves  for  joy,  their  loud  cries  of 
gladness  filling  the  air,  even  to  the  distant  surrounding 
hills. 

>  Neh.  xii.  42. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE    PEOPHET    MALACHI. 

THE  great  Dedication  Festival  of  the  new  walls  of 
Jerusalem  is  the  last  incident  recorded  of  the  first 
period  of  Nehemiali's  governorship.  After  he  had  been 
twelve  years  absent  from  Persia,  the  wear  of  mind  and 
body  told  on  him,  an4  a  temporary  furlough,  during 
which  he  could  return  to  his  royal  master  at  Ecbatana, 
or  Shushan,  and  render  an  account  of  his  high  trust,  was 
desirable.  Everything  appeared  to  be  quiet  and  safe 
in  Judah ;  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  were  built,  the  city 
increasingly  prosperous  from  the  late  addition  to  its 
population,  the  Temple  worship  established  in  ceremonial 
completeness,  and  the  people  pledged  by  solemn  cove- 
nant to  uphold  it.  They  had  even  gone  further.  Public 
readings  of  the  Law,  which  afterwards  developed  into 
the  great  institution  of  the  synagogue,  had  become  a 
fixed  custom  ;  and  after  one  of  these  the  people  had 
voluntarily  abjured  any  close  relations  with  neighbours 
of  heathen  descent,  including  Ammonites  and  Moabites,i 
as  if  desirous  of  showing  their  fidelity  to  all  Levitical 
requirements.  Nehemiah  had  no  sooner  left  for  Persia, 
however,    than    the    worthlessness    of   these    professions 

*  Neh.  xiii.  1.     Deut.  xxiii.  4.     Num.  xxii.  2. 

516 


THE  PROPHET  MALACHI.  517 

hocame  only  too  apparent.  In  spite  of  tlie  presence 
of  Ezra  in  Jerusalem,  it  was  seen  that  a  reformation 
enforced  by  the  civil  power^  rather  than  the  fruit  of 
individual  conviction,  had  no  permanent  vitality.  The 
tithes  due  to  the  Temple,  the  Levites,  and  the  priests, 
were  not  delivered,  and  the  greatest  distress  was  thus 
caused  to  all  who  depended  on  them  for  maintenance. 
The  choristers,  the  guards  of  the  gates,  and  the  ordinary 
Levites,  alike,  were  compelled  to  go  back  to  their  homes 
and  cultivate  their  fields  for  a  living.  Public  worship 
was  thus  interrupted,  and  the  Temple,  forsaken  by  its 
ministers,  was  neglected  by  the  people.^  Nor  was  the 
refusal  to  pay  tithes  the. only  sign  of  an  altered  spirit 
among  the  people.  The  Sabbath  was  profaned,  both  in 
town  and  country ;  winepresses  were  busy  in  its  sacred 
hours,  and  the  roads  and  fields  dotted  with  the  workers 
taking  sheaves  to  the  barn  on  their  heavily-laden  asses. 
Jerusalem  itself  was  disturbed  by  a  Sabbath  fair,  to 
which  loads  of  wine,  grapes,  figs,  and  much  else  were 
carried  in  during  the  sacred  hours.  Phenician  fisher- 
men exposed  for  sale  their  catch  off  the  coasts,  and 
traders  from  Tyre  displayed  their  countless  wares.  After 
all  the  professed  zeal  to  put  an  end  to  mixed  marriages, 
things  were  rapidly  drifting  to  almost  a  worse  condition 
than  of  old.  Not  a  few  husbands  deserted  their  Jewish 
wives  for  Philistine,  Ammonite,  or  Moabite  women;" 
and  the  children  of  these  marriages  had  already  shown 
by  their  broken  dialect — half  Philistine,  half  Hebrew 
— how  soon  they  would  cease  to  take  pride  in  any- 
thing Jewish.  The  very  priests  had  rapidly  lost  their 
high  tone.  Their  irreverence,  indifference,  and  worldli- 
nesSj  shocked  the  thoughtful.^     Monied  men  once  more 

»  Neh.  xiii.  10,  11.  2  j^^l.  ii.  10-14. 

3  Mai.  i.  6,  9, 10. 


518  THE    PEOPHET    MALACHI. 

showed  themselves  the  grinding  and  oppressive  tyrants 
of  the  poor.^  Everything  that  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  had 
effected  was  well  nigh  undone. 

To  this  sad  state  of  things  we  owe  the  appearance  of 
Malachi,  the  last  of  the  prophets.  There  had  been  others 
of  the  sacred  order,  and  even  prophetesses,  since  the  days 
of  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  but  they  had  either  opposed 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  or  failed  to  command  public  in- 
fluence. In  Malachi,  however,  the  ancient  seers  had 
once  more  a  worthy  representative.  Clearly  realizing 
the  wants  of  the  time,  fearless  in  his  reproof,  and  stern 
in  his  demands  and  denunciations,  he  was  no  less 
striking  in  his  vivid  anticipations  of  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah.  Hitherto,  this  Promised  Deliverer  had  been 
awaited  as  a  royal  descendant  of  David;  but  Malachi 
announces  Him  as  no  other  than  Jehovah  Himself,  in 
the  person  of  the  Messenger  of  His  Covenant.^  The 
prophet  seems  to  have  stood  to  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  in 
the  same  relation  as  that  of  Isaiah  to  Hezekiah,  or 
Haggai  to  Zerubbabel,  and  showed  himself  a  powerful 
ally.  In  his  words  we  hear  for  the  last  time  the  tone  of 
the  ancient  seers. 

His  brief  prophecy  opens  with  a  tender  allusion  to  the 
love  shown  towards  Judah,  in  the  past,  by  Jehovah,  as 
proved  especially  by  the  different  treatment  extended  to 
it  and  to  Edom,  though  Jacob  and  Esau,  as  twin  brothers, 
might  have  expected  equal  favour  to  be  shown  their 
descendants.  Yet  Judah  had  been  unfaithful  to  its 
Heavenly  Father !  What  ingratitude  could  be  so  ter- 
rible ! 

2  "  I  have  loved  you,"  ^  says  Jehovah ;  Yet  ye  say,  "  In  what 
hast  thou  loved  us  ?  " 

1  Mai.  iii.  5.  «  Mai.  iii.  1.  »  Mai.  i.  1-5. 


THE  PROPHET  MALACHI,  619 

Jehovah  answers, — 

Is  not  Esau  a  bror.lier  of  Jacob,  says  Jehovah.  Yet  I  loved 
Jacob  3  and  hated  Esau,  and  laid  his  mountains  waste,  and  made 
his  iuheriiance  a  dwelling  of  jackals  of  the  desert.^  4  Though 
Edom  say,  "  we  are  broken  in  pieces,  but  we  will  build  up 
our  ruins  again,"  thus  says  Jehovah  :  They  may  build,  but  I  will 
throw  down,  and  these  desolate  regions  will  be  called  '*  The  Lands 
of  Wickedness,"  and  men  will  say  of  their  inhabitants — "The 
people  against  whom  Jehovah  is  indignant  for  ever."^  5  Your 
eyes  will  see  this,  and  you  will  say,  "Jehovah  is  great  (in  His 
doings)  beyond  the  limits  of  Israel." 

Having  thus  established  the  claim  of  Jehovah  to  the 
love  and  obedience  of  His  people,  the  prophet  advances 
to  his  charge  against  them,  beginning  with  the  sins  of 
the  priesthood. 

6  A  son  honours  his  father  and  a  servant  his  master.  But  if 
I  be  a  Father,  where  is  My  honour?  If  I  be  a  Master,  where  is 
the  reverence  due  to  Me  ?  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  to  you,  O 
priests,  who  dishonour  My  name,  and  yet  say,  "How  have  we 
dishonoured  Thy  name?"  7  (Let  me  tell  you.)  You  offer  un- 
clean bread  on  My  altar,^  and  yet  say,  "  In  what  have  we  defiled 
Thy  name  ?"  (You  do  it  thus),  by  your  saying  (in  your  deeds, 
that)  the  table  of  Jehovah  — His  altar — is  not  worth  respect. 
8  When  you  offer  blind  animals  for  sacrifices,  is  that  no  offence? 
When  you  offer  lame  or  sick  creatures,  is  that  no  grievance?* 
If  you  offered  it  to  your  governor  (though  he  be  only  a  man), 
would  he  be  pleased  with  you,  or  regard  your  person  with 
favour?  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.      9  But  now,  when  you  implore 

*  The  desolation  of  Edom  referred  to  seems  to  have  happened 
shortly  before  the  prophet  speaks.  Idumea,  as  well  as  Judah, 
had  been  subdued  by  Babylon. 

2  Edom  never  regained  its  former  glory.  From  the  times  of 
the  Maccabees,  especially,  it  sank,  and  its  land  became  forsaken. 

*  By  "bread,"  the  prophet  means  offerings  generally.  See 
next  verse.  All  offerings  are  called  "  bread  of  God."  Lev.  xxi. 
6,  8,  17,  etc. 

*  It  was  contrary  to  Lev.  xxii.  20-22. 


520  THE    PEOPHET    MALACHI. 

God  to  be  gracious  unto  us — His  people — you,  at  whose  hand 
He  has  received  such  an  insult — will  He  regard  your  persons 
with  favour  ?  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

10  (How  can  Hep)  For  I  would,  says  He,  there  were  one 
among  you  who  would  close  the  Temple  doors  altogether,  that 
ye  may  not  kindle  fire  on  My  altar,  since  your  conduct  makes 
it  useless  to  do  so?  I  have  no  pleasure  in  you,  says  Jehovah 
of  Hosts,  and  I  will  not  accept  any  offering  at  your  hand  ! 

God  does  not  need  their  worship  ;  He  will  hereafter 
be  honoured  over  the  whole  world,  by  the  heathen,  whom 
they  despise. 

11  For,  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  its  going  down.  My 
name  will  be  great  among  the  heathen,  and  in  every  place  in- 
cense will  be  offered  to  My  name,  and  a  pure  offering  (not  an 
imf)nre,  like  yours);  for  My  name  shall  be  great  among  the 
heathen,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  12  But  ye  have  profaned  it  by 
your  saying,  "The  table  of  Jehovah  is  defiled,  and  what  is  given 
to  lay  on  it — the  bread  of  God — is  contemptible."  13  Ye  have 
said  also,  *'  Ah,  what  a  trouble  ib  is  !"  And  ye  have  sniffed  at  it, 
says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  bring  what  has  been  taken  by  force, 
and  the  lame,  and  the  sick,  (as  off"erings).  Snch  is  the  kind  of 
sacrifice  ye  have  brought !  Shall  I  accept  ihis  at  your  hand? 
says  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

14  But  cursed  be  he  who  tries  to  deceive  Me  (in  this  way); 
who,  having  in  his  flock  a  male,  and  having  vowed  to  oflfer  a 
sacrifice,  off'ers  to  Jehovah  a  blemished  beast.  For  I  am  a  great 
King,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  My  name  is  feared  among  the 
nations. 

Having  thus  fearlessly  accused  the  priests,  Malachi 
passes  on  to  announce  the  punishment  that  will  befall 
them,  in  case  they  do  not  take  warning,  and  discharge 
their  office  aright. 

I  And  now,'^  this  commandment  is  for  you,  0  priests.  2  If  ye 
will  not  hear  and  lay  it  to  heart,  to  give  glory  to  My  name,  says 
Jehovah  of  Hosts,  I  will   send  on  you  the  curse,  and  curse  your 

1  Mal.ii. 


THE  PROPHET  MALACHI.  521 

l)le<?sinG^<',  and,  indeed,  I  have  already  cursed  them,  because  ye 
do  not  lay  it  to  heart. ^ 

3  Behold,  I  will  drive  the  sower  away  from  the  field,"  and  I 
will  spread  filth'  on  your  faces — the  filth  of  your  feasts — (dis- 
lioiiouriiig  you  to  the  uttermost)  aiul  it  will  stick  to  you.'*  4  And 
ye  will  know  that  I  have  sent  this  command  to  you  (to  honour 
My  service,  as  the  condition  of  the  continuance  of)  My  covenant 
with  Levi,  says  Jehovali  of  Hosts. 

5  l\[y  covenant  with  him  was  one  of  life  and  peace,  and  I  gave 
it  him  to  secure  His  fearing  Me,  and  he  did  fear  Me,  and  tremble 
before  My  name.  6  The  law  of  truth  was  in  his  mouth,  and  no 
unjust— no  partial — decision  was  found  in  his  lips;  he  walked 
with  Me  in  peace  and  equity,  and  turned  many  back  from  trans- 
gression. 7  For  the  lips  of  the  priest  should  keep  knowledge, 
and  they  should  seek  the  law  at  his  mouth,  for  he  is  the  messenger 
of  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

8  But  ye  have  departed  out  of  the  way;  ye  have  caused  many 
to  stumble  in  regard  to  the  law  ;  ye  have  corrupted  the  covenant 
which  I  made  with  Levi,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  9  Therefore  I 
will  also  make  you  contemptible  and  despised  before  all  the 
people,  according  as  ye  have  not  kept  IVI^  ways,  and  have  had 
respect  of  persons  in  your  carrying  out  the  law. 

From  his  accusation  of  the  priests,  the  prophet  passes 
to  the  sin  of  those  wholiad  married  heathen  wives,  divorc- 
ing Jewesses  to  do  so,  in  spite  of  the  recent  legislation 
on  the  subject,  and  in  the  face  of  ancient  prohibition. 

10  Have  we  not  all  one  Father  ?  Has  not  one  God  created  us  ? 
Why  then  are  we  faithless  one  to  tlie  other,  profaning  the  cove- 
nant of  our  Father?  ii  Judah  has  acted  faithlessly,  and  abomi- 
naiion  is  committed  in  Israel  and  Jerusalem;  for  Judah  has 
dishonoured  his    race — the    holy    people    of  Jehovah,  whom  He 

*  "  Your  blessings,"  the  tithes,  etc.  which  were  the  revenues  of 
the  priests,  but  were  already  withheld  by  the  people. 

^  Conjectural  reading  of  Hitzig  and  Steiner.  They  depended 
on  the  farmer  for  their  tithes, 

'  h'\t.,  "  dung." 

^  Vulgate  and  Luther. 


522  THE  PEOPHET  MALACHI. 

loved— and  has  married  the  daughter  of  a  foreign  god.  I2  May 
Jeliovah  cut  off  the  (race  of  the  )  man  that  doeth  this,  both  the 
watchman  and  him  that  answers/  from  the  tents  of  Jacob,  and 
cut  off  him  also  who  might  present  an  oflFering  on  his  behalf  for 
the  atonement  of  his  sins  !  « 

13  Still  further,  ye  have  committed  a  second  offence;  ye  cover 
the  altar  of  Jehovah  with  tears,^  with  weeping,  and  sighs,  so  that 
Jehovah  no  longer  turns  towards  your  ofTering  or  receives  that 
which  is  acceptable,  at  your  hand.  14  And  ye  say,  why  ?  Be- 
cause Jehovah  has  been  witness  between  thee  and  the  wife  of  thy 
youth,  towards  whom  thou  hast  acted  faithlessly,  though  she  was 
thy  companion,  (sharing  joy  and  sorrow  with  thee),  and  the  wife  of 
thy  marriage  bond.*  15  No  one  who  has  any  understanding  has 
done  this."*  But  ye  say,  "  What  was  it  that  Abraham  did — he 
who  is  the  greatest  name  in  our  history  ?  (Why  did  he  send  away 
Hagar,  his  wife,  the  mother  of  Ishmael  ?  The  answer  is),  he  was 
seeking  a  Godly  seed — (the  child  of  promise);  therefore,  take 
heed  to  your  spirit,  and  let  no  one  act  faithlessly. 

Having  thus  rebuked  the  leading  sins  of  his  day,  the 
prophet  turns  to  tire  future.  Restlessness  and  murmur- 
ing abounded.  Men  affected  to  believe  that  the  wicked 
were  favoured  by  God,  and  prospered,  while  the  good 
were  allowed  to  suffer,  and  they  flouted  the  idea  of  the 
coming  of  a  day  of  judgment — the  great  day  of  the  Lord 
— so  constantly  announced  by  the  prophets,  age  after 
age.     They  are  addressed  thus  : 

17  Ye  weary  Jehovah^  with  your  words.  Yet  you  say,  *'  How 
have  we  wearied  Him?  (You  have  done  it  thus) ;  by  your  saying 
"Every  one  that  does  evil  is  good  in  the  sight  of  Jehovah,  and 
He  delights  in  him  "  or  "  Where  is  the  God  of  judgment  ?  " 

In  stern  answer  to  these  murmurers,  Jehovah  an- 
nounces His  coming  to  judgment. 

^  A  proverbial  expression  for  every  one. 

2  Those  of  divorced  Jewish  wives. 

^  This  refers  to  the  heartless  divorces  in  use. 

*  This  seems  the  best  reading.  ^  Mai.  ii.  17. 


THE    PROPHET    MALACHI.  523 

^  Behold,'  T  spnd  i\Iy  Messerifrer,*  to  prepare  the  way  befoie  !Me, 
and  the  Lord,  whom  ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to  His  temple, 
even  the  Messenger  of  the  Covenant,  whom  ye  desire,  says  Jeho- 
vah of  Host. 

The  "day  of  the  Lord"  in  Malachi,  however,  unlike  that 
of  Joel  and  the  earlier  prophets,  is  not  the  advent  of 
Jehovah  as  the  warrior  of  Israel,  to  destroy  the  heathen, 
but  that  of  One  who  should  purify  the  kingdom  of  God 
from  iniquity,  and  introduce  the  triumph  of  righteous- 
ness. 

2  But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  His  coming  ?  and  who  shall 
stand  when  He  appeareth  ?  For  He  is  like  a  refinet-'s  fire  ^  and 
like  fuller's^  lye.  3  And  He  will  sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of 
silver,  and  He  will  purify  and  cleanse  the  sons  of  Levi,  as  gold 
and  silver  (are  purged  from  alloy  by  the  smelter),  that  they  may 
(henceforth)  otl'er  to  Jehovah  His  ofTeritig,  in  righteousness. 
4  Then  will  the  offering  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem  be  pleasant 
to  Jehovah,  as  in  former  days  and  long  past  years. 

Thus  the  priests  and  Levites  will  first  be  judged,  but 
then  comes  the  visitation  of  all  evil  doers. 

5  And  I  will  come  near  you  to  judgment,  and  will  be  a  swift 
witness  against  the  sorcerers  (who  deal  in  magic  spells  and  super- 
stitions), and  against  adulterers,  and  against  false  swearers,  and 
againsc  those  wlio  oppress  the  hireling  in  his  wages,  the  widow 
and  the  orphan,  and  turn  aside  the  alien  from  his  right,  and  fear 


»  Mai.  iii. 

2  "  My  messenger"  is  in  Hebrew  "Malnchi."  Tliis  has  led  some 
to  question  whether  the  phrase  be  a  title  applied  to  the  prophet, 
or  a  proper  name.  Keil  understands  "My  messenger,"  in  the 
first  line  of  the  verse,  of  John  the  Baptist,  the  messenger  of 
the  Covenant  of  our  Lord.  "Angels"  or  ''Messengers"  had 
often  appeared  on  missions  from  God,  but  in  Malachi  the  figure 
pervades  the  whole  book.  Messianic  prediction  was  growing 
more  distinct  as  ages  passed. 

^  The  furnace  of  a  metal  smelter.  *  Or,  washerman's. 


524  THE    PROPHET    MALACHI. 

not  Me,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.     6  For  I,  Jehovah,  change  not, 
tlierefore  ye  (true)  sons  of  Jacob  are  hod  consumed.' 

7  Since  the  days  of  your  fatliers  ye  have  gone  away  from  My 
ordinances,  and  have  not  kept  them.  Return  unto  Me,  and 
I  will  return  unto  you,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  But  ye  say,  **  In 
what  respect  shall  we  return  "  ? 

8  Should  a  man  defiaud  God  ?  Yet,  ye  have  defrauded  me. 
But  ye  say,  "In  what  respect  liave  we  defrauded  Thee''?  In 
tithes  and  heave  olFerings  (for  the  support  of  My  House).  9 
Ye  are  cursed  with  the  curse.^yet  ye  are  (continually)  defrauding 
Me — the  whole  of  you.  10  Bring  all  the  tithes  into  the  (Temple) 
storehouse,  that  there  may  be  food  in  My  House,  and  put  me 
to  the  proof  by  this,  says  Jehov.ah  of  Hosts,  if  I  will  not  open 
to  you  the  windows  of  heaven,  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing, 
(in  copious  rains),  even  to  superabundance.  And  I  will  rebuke 
the  devourer — the  locust — for  your  sakes,  so  that  he  will  no  longer 
destroy  the  fruits  of  your  ground,  and  the  vine  will  no  longer  fail 
in  the  field,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  12  And  all  nations  will  call 
you  happy,  for  ye  shall  be  a  delightsome  land,  says  Jehovah  of 
Hosts. 

13  Your  words  have  been  stout  against  Me,  says  Jehovah. 
Yet  ye  say,  "What  have  we  spoken  together  against  Thee"? 
14  Ye  have  said,  "It  is  of  no  use  serving  God,  and  what  profit  is 
it  that  we  have  kept  His  ordinances,  and  have  gone  about  in  black 
mourning  weeds  before  Jehovah  of  Hosts  (in  fasts)  ?  This  being 
so,  we  praise  the  proud,  ungodly,  (prosperous,  man),  as  happy,  for 
not  only  are  the  workers  of  wickedness  built  up,  but  when  they 
have  thus  })ut  God  to  proof,  they  are  nevertheless  delivered 
(from  evil)." 

These  foolish  and  wicked  speeches,  the  prophet  con- 
trasts with  the  bearing  of  the  godly  among  the  people, 
announcing,  besides,  the  blessing  vouchsafed  to  these 
faithful  ones,  and  warning  the  impenitent  of  the  certainty 
of  their  future  doom. 

1  Steinerand  Keil  understand  this  verse  thus  :  "  For  I,  Jehovah, 
change  not,  and  ye  sons  of  Jacob  shall  not  perish,  as  a  race."  I 
shall  |»unish  only  the  wicked  among  you. 

2  Unfi'uitfulness,  bad  harvests,  drought,  and  locusts,  etc. 


THE    PROPHET    MALACHI.  525 

16  Then  they  that  feared  Jehovah  discoursed  often  one  with 
anotlier,  and  Jehovah  hearkened,  and  heard,  and  a  boolc  of  re- 
membrance was  written  before  Ilim,  for  those  who  feared 
Jehovah  and  honoured  His  name.  17  And  ihey  shall  be  My 
treasure,  says  Jehovah,  in  The  Day  which  I  am  preparing;  and 
I  will  spare  them  (in  that  day)  as  a  man  .spares  his  son  that 
serves  him.  18  Then  shall  ye,  once  more,  see  the  difference 
between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  ;  between  him  that  serves 
God  and  him  that  serves  Him  not. 

1  For,  behold,^  The  Day  comes,  burning  like  an  oven,  and 
all  the  proud,  and  every  worker  of  iniquity,  shall  be  as  the 
stubble  (that  feeds  it)  ;  The  Day  that  is  coming  will  burn  them 
up,  says  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  so  (utterly)  that  it  will  leave  neither 
root  nor  twig  of  them. 

2  But  to  you  who  fear  My  name,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
will  arise,  with  healing  in  His  beams,-  and  ye  shall  go  forth  (from 
the  places  in  which  you  have  hidden  in  that  awful  day),  and 
leap  like  fed  calves  (for  joy).  3  And  ye  will  tread  the  wicked 
under  foot,  for  they  will  be  ashes  under  the  soles  of  your  feet, 
(burnt  up  as  they  will  be),  in  The  Day  wliich  I  am  preparing, 
says  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

A  final  exhortation  to  the  godly  concludes  the  pro- 
phecy. 

4  Be  mindful  of  the  Law  of  Moses,  My  servant,  which  I  com- 
manded in  Horebto  all  Israel,  even  (My)  statutes  and  judgments  ! 
5  Behold,  I  will  send  you  Elijah  the  prophei^  before  the  coming 
of  the  great  and  dreadful  Day  of  Jehovah  ;  6  and  lie  will  turn 
the  heart  of  the  fathers  to  the  children,  and  the  heart  of  the 
children  to  their  fathers,  lest  I  come  and  smite  the  land  with 
utter  destruction."* 

The  stern  preaching  of  Malachi  was  vindicated  by  the 
condition  of  things  which  Nehemiah  found  on  his  return 
from  Persia.     Friendly  relations  with  the  open  enemies 

»  Mai.  iv.  2  jjeb.,  "  wings." 

3  Luke  i.  16,  17.  Matt.  xi.  10.  Luke  vii.  27.  Matt.  xvii.  11. 
Mark  ix.  11. 

■•  Lit.,  "a  ban"  which  devoted  anything  to  utter  destruction. 


526  THE    PEOPHET    MALACHI. 

of  strict  Judaism  had  been  shown  even  by  the  high 
priest  Eliashib,  who  was  either  related  to  Tobiah  the 
Aramouite,  by  marriage,  or  connected  with  the  party 
friendly  to  him  in  high  Jewish  society.  In  open  dis- 
respect to  both  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  Eliashib  had  gone 
so  far,  during  the  governor's  absence,  as  to  make  over  to 
Tobiah  one  of  the  houses  in  the  outer  Temple  buildings, 
appropriating  to  his  use,  among  others,  the  great  chamber 
in  which  the  flour  and  frankincense  for  tho  altar,  the 
vessels  for  measuring  the  quantities  required,  and  the 
tithes  of  corn,  wine,  and  oil,  for  the  Levites,  the  guards 
of  the  doors,  and  the  singers,  were  stored.^  Such  an 
abuse  at  once  roused  the  indignation  of  Nehemiah. 
That  the  high  priest,  of  all  men,  should  have  lodged 
Tobiah  in  Jerusalem,  especially  in  the  courts  of  the  House 
of  God,  was  an  outrage  not  to  be  endured  for  a  moment. 
The  furniture  of  the  intruder  was  at  once  unceremon- 
iously thrown  out  into  the  road ;  the  chambers  he  had 
occupied  cleansed  as  if  from  surpassing  defilement,  and 
the  vessels  and  stores,  removed  for  his  convenience, 
carried  back  to  their  former  places. 

This  irregularity,  however,  was  only  one  symptom 
of  the  widely  spread  moral  declension,  denounced  so 
strenuously  by  Malachi.  The  non-payment  of  the  tithes, 
in  particular,  shocked  Nehemiah.  Summoning  the  chief 
men  of  the  community,  therefore,  to  his  presence,  he 
bitterly  reproached  them  with  their  failure  to  collect 
the  dues  for  the  Temple  and  Priests.  "  Why/'  asked 
he,  '^  is  the  House  of  God  forsaken  ?  "  It  was  a  serious 
matter.  The  Temple  services  had  been  suspended  for 
want  of  Levites  to  discharge  the  sacred  offices,  and  its 
courts  were  left  empty  of  worshippers.^  Such  careless- 
ness could  not  be  suffered.  The  elders  of  the  various 
*  Neh.  xiii.  5.  ^  Neh.  xiii.  IL 


THE    PROPHET    MALACHI.  527 

localities  must  at  once  attend  to  their  duty.  Such 
rigour  brought  the  happiest  results.  The  tithes  were 
forthwith  collected  from  the  whole  land. 

The  strict  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  to  which  the 
people  had  pledged  themselves  in  their  recent  covenant, 
had  been  as  shamefully  violated  as  the  engagement  re- 
specting tithes.  As  already  noticed,  the  wine-presses 
were  everywhere  as  busy  on  the  seventh  day  as  on  the 
rest  of  the  week :  harvest  work  was  continued  durinsr  its 
sacred  hours,  and  the  sheaves,  laden  on  asses,  carried,  all 
day  long,  to  the  threshing  floors,  as  at  other  times.  Even 
in  Jerusalem,  the  Sabbath  was  noisy  with  market  people 
bringing  wine,  grapes,  figs,  and  other  produce,  to  the 
gates  through  the  Friday  night,  and  selling  them  on  the 
Saturday.^ 

Phenician  fishermen  and  dealers  in  dried  fish  and  in 
every  kind  of  Tyrian  ware,  attended  the  fair  weekly,  in 
numbers.  The  day  on  which  all  work  should  have  ceased, 
was  the  least  quiet  of  any.  Such  desecration  could  not 
be  suffered.  Calling  before  him  the  municipal  authorities, 
Nehemiah  rebuked  them  sharply,  remiudmg  them  that 
similar  conduct  on  the  part  of  their  fathers  had,  in  part, 
been  the  cause  of  their  national  calamities.-  Hence- 
forward, by  his  command,  the  gates  of  the  city  were  to 
be  shut  on  Friday  night,  as  soon  as  their  archways 
grew  dark,  and  they  were  not  to  be  opened  till  sunset 
on  Saturday,  when  the  Jewish  Sabbath  was  over.  Men 
were  also  placed  at  each  gate,  to  see  that  no  burdens 
were  smuggled  in  during  the  day  of  rest.  Baulked  in 
their  hopes  of  finding  a  mart  inside  the  city,  the  market 
people  and  traders  tried  to  open  one  outside  the  walls ; 
free    egress    being    allowed    the    inhabitants  during  the 

*  Neh.  xiii.  18.  The  Subhafch  began  on  our  Friday  at  sunset, 
and  lasted  till  our  Saturday  at  sunset.  ^  Jer.  xvii.  21. 


528  THE  PEOPHET  MALACHI. 

Sabbath,  thougli  traffic  was  prohibited.  But  this  lasted 
only  a  short  time.  A  threat  to  arrest  the  offenders  was 
sufficient  to  secure  the  honour  of  the  holy  day,  for 
the  time.  Against  any  recurrence  of  such  disorder, 
Levites,  ceremonially  purified  for  the  purpose,  were  ap- 
pointed to  attend  at  each  gate  during  the  Sabbath,  and 
keep  a  strict  watch  over  those  who  went  out  or  in.^ 

The  question  of  mixed  marriages,  in  spite  of  all  efforts 
on  the  part  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  and  of  all  promises 
on  that  of  the  people,  still  gave  great  trouble.  Not  a 
few,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  denunciation  by  Malachi, 
broke  the  law  in  this  matter,  to  the  extent  of  divorcing 
Jewesses  to  marry  heathen  women,  or  at  least  proselytes. 
Nehemiah  noticed  this  very  soon.  Such  indifference  in 
a  matter  which  he,  like  Ezra,  regarded  as  vital,  roused 
his  indignation.  Pasha  though  he  was,  he  could  not 
restrain  himself  when  some  who  had  thus  offended  were 
brought  before  him.  From  fierce  words  he  passed 
to  violence,  rushing  at  the  offenders,  striking  them, 
and  tearing  their  hair  and  beards  in  his  burning 
anger.  Nor  would  he  rest  till  they  had  sworn  by 
Jehovah,  to  abandon  their  sin.^  One  transgressor, 
indeed,  Manasseh,  the  grandson  of  the  high  priest 
Eliashib,  who  had  ventured  to  marry  the  daughter  of 
Sanballat,  the  bitterest  enemy  of  Jerusalem  in  its  past 
trials,  did  not  escape  so  easily.  Eefusing  to  put  away 
his  wife,  Neheniiah's  indignation  knew  no  bounds.  A 
priest  was  bound  to  marry  only  a  virgin  of  his  own  race,^ 
and  thus  the  priesthood  was  defiled  by  this  alliance. 
Besides,  the  guilty  man  was  a  younger  son  of  the  high- 
priestly  family,  so  that  the  whole  order  was  compromised. 
The  offence  was,  in  fact,  a  breach  at  once  of  the  covenant 
granted  to  Phinehas,  and  of  that  made  directly  with  the 
1  Neh.  xiii.  22.         ^  ^^^^^  ^iii.  25.  »  Lev.  xxi.  7-14. 


THE  PROPHET  MALACHI.  529 

tribe  of  Levi.^  Neheiniah,  therefore,  ignominously  ex- 
pelled liitn  from  the  priesthood,  chasing  him  froQi  his 
presence  with  a  fierce  imprecation  on  one  who,  with  his 
family,  "had  defiled  at  once  the  covenant  of  the  priest- 
hood and  of  the  Levites/'  - 

The  closing  verses  of  Nehemiah's  notices  of  affairs  in 
Judah,  under  his  rule,  give  a  brief  summary  of  the  rei-ults 
of  his  government,  apart  from  the  great  work  of  building 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem.  He  had  purified  the  community 
from  heathen  customs,  and  had  restored  an  orderly 
administration  of  public  worship.  He  had  further 
arranged  for  the  regular  provision  of  wood  for  the  altar, 
and  for  the  tithes  and  first  fruits  being  paid  in  for  the 
service  of  the  Temple  and  its  ministers.  The  legal  spirit 
of  later  Judaism  shines  out  in  such  a  record,  set  down 
with  minute  exactness  as  a  ground  on  which  it  could 
be  pleaded  that  God  should  remember  one  for  good. 
Malachi,  in  the  same  way,  had  denounced  marriage  with 
foreigners,  but  his  preaching  had  been  mainly  directed 
against  the  moral  evils  of  the  times.  The  exact  observ- 
ance of  Levitical  rules  was,  however,  the  prominent 
characteristic  of  the  reforms  of  both  Nehemiah  and  Ezra. 
The  contrast  marks  the  formalism  of  the  age  after  the 
Exile  ;  so  different  from  the  spirit  of  earlier  days. 

Of  Nehemiah^s  later  history  we  know  nothing,  but  he 
and  Ezra  fill  a  large  part  in  Jewish  legends  and  traditions. 
To  the  generations  immediately  succeeding,  Nehemiah 
seemed  the  greater  man  of  the  two,  fov  it  is  he,  and  not 
Ezra,  whom  we  meet  in  the  list  of  heroes  of  the  nation 
given  by  the  son  of  Sirach.^    In  the  age  of  the  Maccabees 

*  Num.  XXV.  13.     Exod.  xxviii.  1.     Lev.  xxi.  6-8. 
^  Neh.  xiii.  2l>.      Tlie  civil  power  in  this  case,  as  in  so  many 
others  in  Jewish  history,  is  supreme  over  the  ecclesiastical. 
3  Ecc-lus.  xlix.  11-13. 
VOL.   VI.  M   M 


530  THE  PROPHET  MALACHI. 

it  was  to  Neherniali,  not  to  Zerubbabel^  that  the  glory 
was  ascribed  of  rebuilding  the  Temple,  setting  up  again 
the  altar,  offering  the  first  sacrifice  on  it,  and  discover- 
ing the  sacred  fire,  which  the  priests,  it  was  believed,  had 
hidden  in  a  dry  cistern.^  To  him,  also,  was  attributed 
the  collection  of  the  sacred  books,  and  the  formation  of 
the  Canon.^  But  in  later  times  Ezra  took  the  chief  place 
in  the  national  memory.  Some  hold  him  to  have  been 
the  prophet  known  to  us  as  Malachi.  He  had  reproduced 
the  whole  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  it  was  said, 
from  memory,  after  the  Chaldeans  had  destroyed  them. 
Apocryphal  books  were  written  in  his  name,  and  he  was 
glorified  as  the  founder  of  the  Great  Synagogue  of  tra- 
dition, to  which  the  elaboration  of  the  Law  was  mainly 
ascribed. 

The  whole  subsequent  history  of  Judaism  is  the  monu- 
ment of  the  zeal  and  devotion  of  the  two  Reformers.  To 
their  stern  exclusiveness  was  directly  due  the  hatred  and 
rivalry  between  Jew  and  Samaritan,  the  creation  of  the 
Rabbinical  Law,  which  has  buried  the  teachings  of  Moses 
under  its  endless  comments,  and  the  rise  of  that  fierce 
pride  and  Pharisaic  religionism,  which  culminated  in  the 
spiritual  death  of  the  nation,  and  in  the  establishment  of 
a  ritualism  which  controls  the  Jew  in  every  act,  from  the 
cradle  to  the  grave.  Their  stern  Puritanism,  too  earnestly 
fixed  on  the  letter,  ended  by  making  it  supreme.  They 
preserved  the  nation,  and  kept  it  true  to  Jehovah,  but 
introduced  a  principle  which,  in  the  end,  changed  His 
worship,  in  the  nation  at  large,  from  that  of  the  heart 
and  life,  to  a  slavery  to  mere  outward  forms.  As  always 
happens,  in  achieving  the  triumph  of  ceremonialism,  they 
laid  the  axe  at  the  root  of  spiritual  religion. 

FINIS. 
»  2  Mace.  i.  18, 19.  .  ^  2  Mace.  ii.  13. 


INDEX. 


Abednego,  263. 

Abiathar,  248. 

Acbor,  366. 

Abasuerus,  420,  447. 

Abolab,  46. 

Aholibab,  46, 

Ainiek,  153,  307. 

Akrabbim,  410. 

Altar,  great,  built,  416. 

Altars,  365. 

Araasis,  386. 

Ammon,  169  ;  prophecies  against,  41, 

161,  162. 
Auathotb,  91. 

Angels,  doctrine  of,  in  Daniel,  333. 
Apis,  the  god,  85. 
Apocalyptic  literature,  Jewish,  294, 

433. 
Ark,  tradition  respecting,  211, 
Artaxerxes,  420,  478. 
Aryans,   the,  supersede   the  Semitic 

races  as  rulers  of  the  world,  386. 
Asherah  tents,  12. 

Babylon,  description  of,  265  ;  its 
walls,  266  ;  palaces,  267  ;  hanging 
gardens,  269 ;  mainly  built  by 
Nebuchadnezzar,  270 ;  canals  of, 
271 ;  temples  of,  272 ;  despotic 
power  of  kings  of,  276  ;  treasures 
of,  323  ;  seat  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
age,  329;  impurity  of,  379,  387; 
fall  of,  392,  395  ;  deputations  to 
Judah,  from,  434. 

Babylonia,  punishments  in,  275  j 
commerce  oj,  317- 

B.ipti  ;m,  in  early  Church,  348. 

Beard,  plucking  the,  of  a  prisoner, 
337. 

Belshazzar,  312.  374. 

Belteshazzar,  263. 

Benhadad,  164. 

Bethel,  deputation  to  Jerusalem 
from,  435. 


631 


Bethshean,  412. 
Black  arts,  the,  4. 
"  Bosom,"  pouring  into  the,  102. 
"  Branch  of  Righteousness,"  107. 
Burial,  spices  burnt  at,  81 ;  ancient 
forms  of,  81. 

Cambyses,  315,  444. 

Canonical  Bo.ks,  date  of  some  of 
the,  384. 

Caphtor,  153. 

Carmel,  86. 

Chaldean  army,  uniform  of,  43. 

Chemosb,  155. 

Children,  carried  on  the  side,  355. 

Chimliam,  khan  of,  175, 

Chronology,  288. 

Clay  school-books  of  Babylon,  262. 

Covenant,  new,  promised,  77,  500. 

Criminals,  mutilation  of,  49. 

Crocodile,  the,  339. 

Croesus,  387- 

Cubit,  the,  243. 

Cupbearer,  Persian,  489,  492. 

Cush,  234. 

Cutting  the  person,  in  grief,  172. 

Cyrus,  165,  296,  304,  305,  309,  313, 
323,  325,  336,  384,  404,  444 ;  char- 
acter of,  403  ;  decree  of,  found  by 
Darius,  436 ;  inscriptions  of,  390- 
394. 

Damascus,  prophecies  against,  163. 
Daniel,  8,  259,  291. 
Darius  the  Mede,  399. 
Darius  Hystaspis,  402,  403,  435,  446. 
Dead,  prayer  for  the,  363. 
Deportations  of  Jews,  118. 
Despotism,  Persian,  453. 
Divination  by  arrows,  etc.,  39. 
Diviners,  orders  of,  at  Babylon,  273. 
Doseli,  the,  in  Egypt,  341. 
Dovecots,  356. 
Dreams,  275. 


532 


INDEX. 


Drunkenness,  51. 

Dry  Bones,  Valley  of,  227. 

Dungeons,  312. 

Dura,  Plain  of,  210. 

Ebedmelech,  96. 

Edora,  142,  145,  149,151,  519;  pro- 
phecies aarainst,  145-149,  150,  151, 

152,  222,  223,  519. 
Edomites,  Tnalij^nity  of,  142, 144  ;  in 

Palestine,  410. 
Egibi  tablets,  286. 
Egypt,  flight  of  Jews  to,   170,  177 ; 

prophecies  against,  85,  87,  88,  19G- 

200,  201,  202-204. 
Elara,  prophecies  against,  1C5. 
Eliashib,  481. 
Esther,  451-158. 
Evil  Merodach,  115.  288,  371. 
Eyelids,  painting  i  he,  51,  346. 
Ezekiel,  54,  5G,  212,  214,  242. 
Ezekiel's  vision  of   Temple,   only  a 

vision,  244,  245. 
Ezra,  477 ;  leads  a  body  of  Jews  to 

Jerusalem,  479  ;  character  of  484 ; 

indignation  of,  at  mixed  marriages, 

485. 

Fasts,  the  four  Jewish,  351,  377,  436. 

Field-mouse,  the,  3/1. 

Fiery  furnace,  the,  283. 

Fighting,  customs  in  ancient,  342. 

Figs,  67. 

"  Folly,"  Hebrew  idea  of,  2. 

Galilee,  411. 

"  Gate  of  the  king,"  the,  278. 

Gedaliah,  118,  166,  170,  171. 

Geshem,  499. 

Gog,  234. 

Gold,  abundance  of,  in  Babylon,  279. 

Golden  image,  Nebuchadnezzar' s,277. 

Grapes,  taste  of  unripe,  21. 

Greece,  war  of  Persia  against,  446, 

451. 
Grinding  at  the  mill,  328. 
Guerilla  band,  Jewish,  169,  171. 

Haggai,  421-426. 

Hamaii,  452,  457. 

Hamath,  163. 

Hasidim,  the,  120. 

High  places,  33. 

"  Holy  City,"  of  Ezekiel,  255. 

Holy  Land,  bounds  of  the,  in  Ezekiel, 

255. 
Household  gods,  418. 


Human  sacrifices,  32. 

Hyrcanus  subdues  Edomites,  411. 

Idolatry     described,     382;     Jewish, 

prophecies  against,  6. 
Idols,  food  ottered  to,  abhorred,  264, 

321. 
Imagery,  influences  of  external  world 

on  Jewish,  243. 
Infant,   Eastern    treatment    of    an, 

10. 
"  Isaiah,"  second  part  of,  295-298. 
Ishmael,  169,  171,  174. 
Ithamar,  248. 

Jackal,  the,  2. 

Jedar,  a,  2. 

Jeremiah,  59,  69.  80,  90,  91,  93,  96, 
100,  102,  167,  175,  176,  210. 

Jerusalem,  prehistoric,  10-15;  siege 
of,  foretold,  39,  53;  prophecies 
against,  43,  60,  66 ;  moral  condi- 
tions of,  44 ;  siege  of,  52, 57, 60,  79 ; 
slaves  in,  emancipated,  82 ;  lawless- 
ness in,  83 ;  prophecies  against 
princes  and  people  of,  83,  91,  103, 
104 ;  siege  of,  Chaldeans  for  a  time 
withdraw  from,  82 ;  horrors  of 
siege  of,  9/,  110;  close  of,  112, 
116  ;  size  of,  108  ;  after  the  siege, 
119  ;  fortification  of,  opposed,  460  ; 
progress  of,  461 ;  despondency  of 
citizens  of,  461 ;  alliance  against, 
501 ;  walls  of,  finished,  503  ;  trans- 
fer of  people  to,  513;  dedication 
of  walls  of,  513. 

Jewellery,  11. 

Jewish  reckoning  of  years,  260 

Jews,  character  of  exiled,  23  ;  depor- 
tations of,  178;  in  Egypt,  pro- 
phecies against,  190 ;  state  of, 
during  the  Captivity,  373,  380; 
number  of,  in  Babylon,  375  ;  idol- 
atry of,  in  Babylon,  375  ;  religious 
state  of,  376 ;  projected  massacre 
of  Persian.  454 ; 

Joshua,  the  high  priest,  409. 

Josiah's  reformation,  temporal  good 
not  realized  after,  22. 

Judah  after  Return,  bounds  of,  413  ; 
constitution  of,  414  ;  and  Babylon, 
intercourse  between,  474 ;  condi- 
tion of,  in  Ezra's  lime,  476  ;  dis- 
appointed hopes  of,  422;  prophecies 
against,  8-20,  23,  26,  28,  29-35,  45 
-38, 47,  214 ;  after  murder  of  Ged- 
aliah, 213. 


INDEX. 


533 


Kedar,  164,  313,  355. 
Kirjathaini,  155. 

"Lamentations,"  the,  123-141. 

Land,  sale  of,  100, 101. 

"  Law,"  the,  not  a  late  invention, 
257 ;  superstitious  reverence  of  the, 
478  ;  public  reading  of,  505. 

Levites,  249. 

Lions,  2G  ;  den  of,  '600. 

Madmenah,  155. 

Magog,  234. 

Maliichi,  516-525. 

Marathon,  battle  of,  446. 

Marriage  procession,  106. 

Marriages,  mixed,  476, 481-488. 

Media,  387- 

Memphis,  85. 

Messiah,  predicted,  63,  70,  72,  107, 

220,  223,  225,  231,  2-U,  311,  424, 

518. 
Messianic,  kingdom,  242. 
Migdol,  85. 
Mina,  a,  415. 
Misgab,  155. 
Mishor,  the,  61,  157. 
Mixed  marriages,  517,  528. 
Mizpeh,  168,  170,  172,  174. 
Moab,  prophecies  against,  154-160 ; 

towns  of,  157. 
Mordecai,  451. 
Mount  of  God,  the,  186. 
Mount  Moriah,  93. 
Mourning,  usages  in,  55.  ^  "2,  380. 
Music  in  Babylon,  282. 
Myrtle,  the,  307. 

Nabathseans,  411. 

Nabonidus,  289,  389,  395 ;  inscription 
of,  389. 

Nebo,  Mount,  154. 

Nebo  (god),  326. 

Nebuchadnezzar,  18,  35,  39.  40,  58, 
67,  117,  200,  206,  208,  209,  271, 
dream  of,  275 ;  madness  of,  284 ; 
death  of,  285  ;  inscriptions  of,  287. 

Nehemiah,  488;  resolves  to  visit 
Judah,  490;  appointed  pasha  of 
Judah,  492 ;  at  Jerusalem,  493 ; 
orders  wails  of  city  to  be  rebuilt, 
494;  vigilance  in  rebuilding  the 
walls  of  Jerusalem,  501;  legal 
reforms  of,  511 ;  character  of,  529. 

Nergal  Sharezer,  288. 

Kethinim,  407. 

Noph,  85. 


"Obadiah,;'  143,  145-149. 
Observatories  at  Babylon,  273. 
One    god,    specially  "woisliipped    by 
Nebuchadnezzar,  £85. 

Palace  schools  in  Babylon,  261. 

Pa^hros,  88. 

Pentateuch,  "higher  criticism"  on 

the,  25(). 
Persian  kings,  splendour  of,  456. 
Pharaoh  Hophra,  58,  194,  204. 
Phoenicians,  circumcision  among  the, 

185. 
Philistines,   prophecies  against,  152, 

154. 
Phut,  234. 
Pilgrims,  murder  of,  at  Mizpah,  172, 

173. 
Posts,  Persian,  453. 
Prayer,  hours  of,  377. 
Priests     and    Levites    in    Ezekiel's 

Temple,  248. 
Priests,  moral  decay  of,  518. 
Prophetesses,  false,  4. 
Prophets,  the,  42  ;  false,  the,  1,  64. 
Proselytes  in  Babylon,  378. 

Queen  of  Heaven,  the,  192. 

Red,  the  war  colour,  361. 

Registration  of  Jews,  504. 

Responsibility,   individual,   24,   216, 

Resurrection,  Egyptian  ideas  of  the, 
229. 

Return,  the,  predicted,  71,  73  ;  few 
Jews  favoured  the,  347 ;  decreed, 
401;  the,  406;  numbers  in  the, 
406  ;  route  of  the,  410. 

Riblah,  117. 

Rich,  heai-tless  conduct  of, at  Jerusa- 
lem, 497. 

Ritual,  exactness  after  Return,  443. 

Roads,  repair  of ,  before  great  men, 
300,  360. 

R^sh,  234. 

Rulers  of  Judah,  prophecies  against, 
218. 

Sabbath,  Jewish,  30;  profaned,  517, 

527. 
Sacred  fire,  discovery  of,  530. 
Samaria,  15,  16,  411. 
Samaritans  wish  to  join  in  building 

Second  Temple.  419. 
Sanballat,  498,  50a. 
Sandals,  11. 
Saracens,  161. 


534 


INDEX. 


Sceptre,  or  tribal  staff,  28. 

Scourging,  public,  92,  337- 

"  Scribes,"  rise  of  the,  476,  479. 

Scythians,  237. 

Seal,  known  to  Hebrews,  463. 

"  Servant    of    Jehovah,"    the,    311, 

314,  333,  334. 
Shallets,  278. 

Sheha,  meaning  of  the  word,  40. 
Shekels,  100. 
Shepherd's  coat,  a,  177. 
Sheshbazzar,  409. 
Siege,  ancient,  103. 
Signet  ring,  426. 
Silk,  11. 

Silver,  melting  of,  331. 
Sinai,  land  of,  335. 
Slave,  price  of  a,  468. 
Slavery,  351 ;  among  Jews,  497- 
Slaves,  branded  with  master's  name, 

319. 
Sodom,  15,  16. 

"  Solomon,"  "servants  of,"  407. 
Sons,  love  of,  in  East,  309. 
Susa,  gate  of,  in  Temple,  442 ;  city 

of,  447  ;  palace  of,  448. 
Swaddling  clothes,  10. 
Swine,  sacrificed,  365. 
Syene,  88. 

Tabernacles,  feast  of,  417,  508. 

Tabor,  86. 

Tahash,  the,  11. 

Tahpanhes,  176. 

Talmud,  476. 

Tararauz,  112,  370. 

"  Tannin,"  the,  136. 

Tel,  71. 

Temple  burnt,  115. 

Temple,  ^  Ezekiel's,  246  ;  laws  of, 
250 ;  river  flowing  from,  253. 

Temple  hill,  the,  243. 

Temple,  Second,  contributions  for  re- 
building the,  415  ;  preparations  for 
rebuilding,  417  ;  foundation  stone 
laid,    417 ;    Samaritans    wish     to 


help    to    build,  419;   work   upon, 

stopped,  419 ;  works  resumed,  423  ; 

finished,   440;    details  respecting, 

440  ;  fortress  at,  442  ;  consecration 

of,  442;  services  suspended,  526. 
Ten  Tribes,  376,   378;  survivors  of 

the,   friendly  to  Judah,  411 ;  did 

they  return  ?  412. 
Tent  coverings,  164. 
Tithes,  9L;  512. 
Tobiah,  499,  500,  526. 
Tobit,  383. 

"  Tortoise,"  military,  180. 
Treasures,  Temple,  in  Babylon,  279. 
Tubal,  234. 
Turtle  dove,  the,  353. 
Twelve  Tribes,  hopes  among  the,  of 

reunion,   230;  restoration    of  the, 

231. 
Tyre,  prophecies  against,  179;  siege 

of,  179-186,  189,  196. 

Urim  and  Thummim,  408. 

Vashti,  450. 

Walls,  paintings  on,  of  Jewish  man- 
sions, 48. 
Watches,  night,  131. 
Western  civilization,  triumph  of,  446. 
Wild  beasts,  mode  of  captare  of,  26. 
Willow,  the  weeping,  292. 

Xerxes,  447 ;  palace  of,  448 ;  table 
of,  449;  banquet  given  by,  449; 
murder  of,  458. 

Yaar,  the,  61, 

Zadok,  248. 

Zechariah,  421,  427,  428,  462. 

Zedekiah,  7, 18, 19,  27,  35,  59,  68,  80, 

80,  81,  95,  96,  98,  113-115,  167. 
Zertuscht,  vision  of  293. 
Zerubbabel,  408,  416,  417. 


TEXTS    ILLUSTRATED. 


The  Texts  printed  in  blacker  type  are  Translations, 


Genes 

IS.         PAGB 

iii.  14     

.     ...    367 

V.    9      

22 

xiv.  1     

.*     '.'.'.     275 

XV.  10     

.     ...      84 

„  18     

.     ...     462 

XX.  3       

.     ...      77 

XXV.  2,  4 

.     ...     355 

„     29 

.     ...     425 

xxxviii.  18    .. 

28,  426 

xlvii.  31 

.     ...       28 

xlviii.  16 

.     ...     306 

xlix.    9 

.     ...       26 

Exodus. 


in.  7 


„  8-17 

„  13  ... 
iv.  31  ... 
vi.  20  ... 
viii.  12,  14 
xi.  5,  12 
xii.  6      ... 

„    18    ... 

„  39  ... 
xiii.  11,  13 

„     12 
xiv.  24  ... 
XV.  2     ... 
xix.  4     ... 
XX.  2      ... 

,,    5 

xxi.  2  ... 
„  32  ... 
xxii.  24  ... 

„    25  ... 

„  24  ... 
xxiii.4  ... 

„     10... 

„     19... 

..    31... 


...  344 

...  29 

...  30 

...  47 

...  29 

...  483 

...  339 

...  328 

...  443 

...  410 

...  342 

...  32 

...  511 

...  131 

...  126 

...  362 

...  30 

...  22 

...  365 

81,  351 

...  468 

...  23 

...  23 

...  497 

...  47 

...  510 

250,  511 

...  462 


PAGK 

PISH 

xxviii.  1 

...     529 

xix.  16 

24 

„        42       ... 

...     249 

XX.   11    

44 

xxix.  37 

248,  249 

xxi.  1-3 

250 

XXX.  13 

...     oil 

„     5-10      

249 

„      23 

...     318 

„    6    

12 

„      29 

...     249 

„    6-8        

529 

xxxii.  12 

...       30 

„    6,8,17 

519 

xxxiii.  11 

...     342 

„    7-14       

528 

xxxiv.7 

...       22 

„    10 

54 

„     12-16  ... 

...     482 

„     14 

249 

„     15  ff.    ... 

...     482 

xxii.  8    

250 

„     16        ... 

...     511 

„    20-22     

519 

„     26        ... 

...     250 

xxiii.  22-25 

506 

xxxix.  28 

...       55 

„       26-32  

436 

xlv.  13 

...     511 

„      36        

509 

„      39-43  

508 

Leviticus, 

XXV.  23-28     

ICO 

ii.  3       

...     250 

„     24,25     

100 

iv.          

...     252 

»    25,26     

306 

„4       

23 

.,    34 

100 

vi.           

...     252 

„    36 23, 

497 

„9,  n.i9  ... 

...     250 

„    39  ff.      

351 

„11  2.) 

...     249 

xj^Vi 

32 

„20      

...     425 

„    34,43     

179 

vii.  6,  7 

...     250 

„    29 

22 

„    31-34     ... 

...      74 

xxvii.  21         

250 

viii.  6     

...     342 

„    33 

...     2iS 

Numbers. 

X.9        

...     249 

iii.  17,  18     

470 

„10       

..     250 

V.    8      

306 

xi.  7      

365,  369 

viii.  6ff.        

342 

,,29      

...    371 

xi.  12     ...    102,301 

,  3o2 

xii.  2      

...      44 

xii.  6      

66 

xiii.  45 

54, 138 

„   8      

342 

xvii.  7    

...      30 

xiii.  33 

153 

„     15 

...     250 

xiv.  14 

342 

xviii.  3 

...      30 

„    16    

30 

„      5 

...       30 

„   18-33      

22 

»       21 

...      32 

XV.  19    

250 

„      6-17     ... 

...      44 

„    20    

511 

„       12 

...    483 

,,20,21      

250 

„       19 

...       44 

xviii.  12          

511 

„      24,  25  ... 

...     482 

„      13        

250 

535 

53G 


TEXTS    ILLUSTRATED. 


xviii.  15,  IG,  17 

„     19 

xix.  22   

xxi.  15 

xxii.  2    

xxiv.  7 

„    17 

XXV.  13 

xxvi.  8 

„     59 

xxviii.  9, 11  ... 

„      15 

,,      19,  20... 
xxix.  1-6 

„      13       ... 
XXX.  6,  7 
xxxiii.  52 
xxxiv.  1-12    ... 
XXXV.  5 

„      12,19... 

Dkutekonomy. 

i.  1      

„30      

ii.  4,  5,  9,  19 

„  10      

iii.  10     

iv.  10   V. 

„    28    . 

„  34     . 
V.  9 
vii.  1-5  , 


viii.  7-9 
ix.  28  ... 
xiii.  2-12 
XV.  12    ... 
xvi.  3     ... 

„  16  ... 
xvii.  8  ... 
xviii.  4  ... 
„  10... 
xix.  7  ... 
xxi.  5     ... 

„   13    ... 


24 


xxiii.  3  ... 

„    4... 

,,  20... 
xxiv.  1  ... 

„  12  ... 

„  16  ... 
XXV.  3  ... 
xxvi.  2  ... 

„  14  ... 


PARK 

PARK 

PAGE 

..     511 

xxviii 

32 

V.  6,  7 

..        104 

..     250 

XXX.  16 

30 

„  16      

..     169 

..     425 

„19 

60 

vii.  12-16     ... 

..     348 

..     162 

xxxi.  17 

490 

viii.  14 143,162 

..     516 

xxxii.  29        

126 

xi.  3      

..     483 

..     451 

xxxiii.  10       

250 

XV.  2-4 

...      61 

..     160 

XV.  24    

..     248 

..     529 

Joshua. 

XV.  30   

..       54 

..     100 

vii.  2,8 

498 

xviii.  18 

..     350 

..     483 

ix.  21-27       

407 

xxi 

..       22 

..     2.'.  2 

,,  27     

248 

xxiv.  16 

..     463 

..     251 

XI 

49~« 

„      24 

..     101 

..     252 

xiii.  17 

61 

..     506 

XV.  1       

151 

1  Kings, 

..     252 
..     193 
..     291 
..     462 
..     100 
..     306 

..  32    

472 

xvi.  3,5 

xviii.  13        

„    14         

xix.  7 

XX.  8      

xxiv.  14         

498 
498 
174 
472 
6 
47 

i.  32      

iii.  5      

vii.  25 

viii.  9    

„    27 

„  ^<s  

„   65   

..    2i8 
..      66 
..     248 
..     441 
..     365 
...    377 
..     509 

Jl  I . 

Judges. 

ix.  20    

...     408 

..     113 

iii.  5      

482 

„    26    

...     151 

..     362 

„6        

483 

xi.  1       

...     483 

..     462 

V.  19.  21        

122 

„  2       

...    482 

..     153 

vii.  25    

122 

xiv.  21  

...    483 

61 

viii.  5     

122 

XV.  16-22     ... 

...    170 

...     104 

x7       

162 

xvi.  31 

...     483 

..     104 

xi.  12-32       

162 

xvii.  9 

..     149 

29 
...       22 

...     482 

XX.  26    

436 

xxii.  19  ff.     ... 

...     433 

xxi.  19-21     

126 

xxxviii.44     ... 

...     153 

...     291 
...      ^0 
...      ^0 

RuTfi. 
i.  4         

483 

2  Kings. 

iii.  9       

11 

iv.  1      

...     336 

...      66 

„   15    

102 

„  22     

...      30 

81,  351 

iv.  1       

306 

,,38     

...    425 

...     342 

1  Samukl. 

viii.  20 

...     143 

...     226 
...     250 
...     250 
...      32 
...     250 
...     250 
...      77 
...       51 

77 
...     482 
...     510 
...       23 
77, 336 

23 

ii.  36     

vii.  6       

viii.  18 

xi 

XV 

„    12    

„   18    

xvii.  4    

xix.  13-16     

XX.  7,  23        

xxviii.  6         

94 
436 
.     153 
.     162 
.     452 
.     3.50 
.     153 
.     1.53 
.       34 
.     153 

96 

ix.  14    

,.    30    

xi.    1     

xiii.  20 

xiv.  6    

„     13 

„    25 

XV.  29 

xvi.  6    

xvii.  24 

xix.  2    

„     12 

„     18 

„     28  ...     ... 

...     173 
...    346 
...     170 
...     154 
...       22 
79,92 
...     162 
...     162 
...     143 
...    172 
...      59 
...      71 
...     104 
...      26 

XXX.   14         

xxxi.  13         

.     1.54 
.     436 

22 

2  Samuel. 

„    32 

...    103 

...      92 

i.  23       

.     303 

xxi.  18-2G    ... 

...    247 

...     511 

iii.  3      

.    483 

xxii.  12 

...    168 

...       55 

„  35     

.      55 

,.     13 

...      60 

TEXTS    ILLUSTRATED. 


537 


xxiii.  10 
,,.      2(3 
xxiv. 


XXV. 


1 ... 

3  ... 

l-A-16 

20... 

11... 

8  ... 

12 

13-17 

18 

18-21 

25 


PAGE 

71) 

22 

259 

22 

110 

40 

...       32, 43G 
118,275,436 

117 

117 

...    409,477 

118 

169 


ii; 


1  Chuonicles. 

ii.  34    

iv.  22    

V.  19     

„  26      

„  40  ... 
vii.  14  ... 
ix.  17,27 

„  33    ... 
xviii.  17 
XX.  5-8... 
xxi.  15  ... 
xxiv.  3  ... 

„       5  ... 
xxvi.   12-19 
xxix.  2  ... 


483 
77 
407 
162 
,409 
483 
503 
376 
153 
153 
463 
248 
319 
503 
346 


2  Chronicles. 


„  18     ...  . 

vii.  9    ...  . 
viii.  7  ... 
xvi.  1-6 

XX 

xxiv.  9  ...  . 

XXV.  16...  . 

xxvi.  8 ...  . 

„     9...  . 
XX  viii.  17 

XXX.  11...  . 

„    17...     . 
xxxiii.  11 
xxxiv.  9 

„     10-13 . 
XXXV.   7. 

„      11-14. 
xxxvi.  17 
21 


...  441 

...  343 

...  368 

248,  509 

...  408 

...  170 

...  162 

...  59 

...  337 

...  162 

...  79 

...  143 

172,  411 

...  443 

...  26 

172,  411 

...  406 

...  226 

...  443 

...  110 

179  401 


Ezra. 


2-4 


385 
401 


i.  7       ... 

„  8       ... 
ii.  5       ... 

M   7 

„  23-28 
,,  30-39 
„  50  ... 
„  59  ... 
„  63  ... 
„  65  ... 
,,  69  ... 
iu.  1-6 

„  1      ... 

„  1-6  ... 

„  2     ... 

„  4      ... 

M  6,7... 
iv.  2     ... 

„  6      ... 

„  6,7... 

„  7-23... 

„  23     ... 

„  24     ... 

V.  1 

„  3        ... 
,.  14      ... 
vi.  1      ... 
„  1-12 
2 

',',  3ff.  Z 
„  4  ... 
„  9-23... 
„  14  ... 
„  14,  15 
„  36-18 
22 

vii."l  '.'.'. 
„  Iff.... 
„  1-8  ... 
„  9  ... 
„  10  ... 
„  11,  12 
„  12,  26 
„  15  ... 
„  16  22, 
„  25  ... 
„  25-27 
„  20,  27 
„  27     ... 

viii.  7  ... 
„  14  ... 
„  15-17 
„  16  ... 
„  18-20 
„  20  ... 
90. 


24 


PAGE 

...  406 

...  409 
503.501 

...  4«o 
34,  414 

...  4Uti 

...  407 
71,  408 

...  408 

...  373 

...  416 

...  244 
416, 504 

...  252 

...  244 

...  509 

...  417 

...  418 

...  460 

...  420 

...  460 

...  499 
419, 4:35 

...  421 

...  435 

...  409 

...  435 

...  436 
436,488 

...  440 

...  440 

...  490 
406,  421 

...  440 

...  443 

...  465 

...  117 

...  477 

...  437 

...  480 

...  478 

...  477 

...  477 

...  478 

...  479 

...  481 

...  478 

...  479 

...  479 

...  486 

...  414 

...  479 

...  479 

...  481) 

...  248 

...  480 


viii.  29  ., 
„  31  . 

ix.  1 
„  2-10 
„  6   . 

X.  3 

„  8   ., 

„  9   . 

„  10-16 

,,  15 

„  20  43 

„  44   ., 


PAGB 

442,480 

...  480 

...  482 

...  414 

...  377 

...  442 

...  4S6 

...  487 

...  477 

...  487 

...  488 

...  488 


„  4  .. 
ii.  1-6  ., 

„  3,  5  . 

„7-9  .. 

„  8,  vu. 

„8   .. 

„  10  .. 

„  10,  19 

„  12   ., 

,,18   .. 

„19  ., 
iii.  1 

„  4-30 

„  5 

,,  6   .. 

„  7   ., 


Nkhemiah. 

474 

490 

491 

492 

491 

414 

442 

492 

496,  500,  503 


..  493 

..  494 

..  499 

79,  472 

..  503 

..  494 

..  461 

..  495 

..  461 

..  494 

..  414 

..  94 

..  495 

..  472 

..  495 

..  113 


„  8,  31.  32, 
„  8,  32,  33 
„  9,  12, 14,  15  ... 

n  11  

„   12  

„  15  

,.  22  

„  28  

„  30,  X.  37,  xii.  44, 

xiii.  5 

„  32  

iv.  2   

„  3,  6,  12,  14,  17, 

18   

„7   

„4-6  

„  10  414,  49G 

,,10,16,17,23...  492 


442 
401 
499 

499 
414 
500 


12  13,  21 


V.  o 

M  7 

„  8 
..  11 


,  501 
.  502 
,  336 
;10, 23 
,  474 
,  497 


538 


TEXTS    ILLUSTRATED. 


PiGE 

PAGE 

PAGK 

V.  12      ... 

498 

xiii.  25 337 

,528 

Ixxiii 

21 

„  15 

...     459,  46  L 

„  15 461 

,477 

„    19        

183 

„  14-18 

493 

„  28 

499 

Ixxiv.  11        

342 

vi.  1,  2,  6 

4<J9 

„  29 

529 

„    13,14 

339 

„  10-12 

503 

Ixxvii.  19      

183 

„14,    17 

503 

Esther. 

„      20      

301 

;,i8  .. 

...    488,503 

i.  3        

449 

Ixxviii.  35     

306 

„  ly   .. 

503 

„19      

452 

Ixxix 

120 

vii.  2 

491 

ii.  1-14 

451 

Ixxx.  I 

301 

„  3      .. 

504 

„  7        

307 

Ixxxiii 

121 

„  5  ^  .. 

...    459,  504 

,,19,21 

278 

Ixxxvii.          

418 

„  5-73 

504 

iii.  1       

452 

„     .4        

339 

„  5      .. 

459 

„2       ...     .,.     ... 

278 

Ixxxviii.  14 

490 

„  12    .. 

485 

,,9       

453 

Ixxxix.  11      

339 

„  25-30 

414 

vii.  4      

457 

„     28      

343 

„  26    .. 

373 

ix.  12     

457 

„     46      

490 

„  34    .. 

...    ....     376 

„  24     

452 

xcvi.  10 

404 

„  Gl    .. 

71 

Job. 

xcvii.  99        

404 

„  70-72 

415 

cii 

380 

viii.  2     .. 

477 

ii.  8       

380 

cv.  31    

339 

„  3     .. 

...    505,  506 

„  12,  13       

54 

cvi 

418 

„  4     .. 

477 

iv.  13     

66 

„  34    

290 

,;  4r-7 

507 

vii.  1,10      

299 

„  46    

373 

„  8     .. 

507 

„  14    

GQ 

.,,.37    

291 

„  15  .. 

307 

xii.  26    

314 

cvii 

418 

J,  16  .. 

92 

xvii.  14 

2U9 

„  10-14      

405 

„  17  .. 

509 

xviii.  18        

314 

,,  23-30      

405 

„  18,.. 

509 

xix.  25 

306 

cix.  14 

22 

ix.4  r. 

5(t9 

x.Ki.  9     

22 

cxviii 

418 

„  12-26 

477 

XXX.  3    

314 

cxx 

418 

„  GO     .. 

248 

„  10 

337 

cxxiv 

372 

X.  1 

509 

xxxi.lO^ 

328 

cxxvi 

405 

„  14-16 

492 

xxxiii.  15      

66 

cxxix 

372 

xi. 

512 

xii.  20     

196 

cxxxiv 

418 

„  1,  18 

331 

xiii.  14 

346 

cxxvi 

418 

„  4 

„  20,21 

376 

513 

Psalms. 

exxxvii.  283,291 
„     7       

,372 
143 

„  25-35 

414 

xiii.  1     

490 

cxli.  2,  5,  3, 

377 

xii.  24    .. 

513 

xiv 

2i)0 

ckiii.  10       

61 

„  28    .. 

495 

XV.  5      

23 

clxiv.,  cxlv.,  cxlvi., 

„  38    .. 

94 

xix.  14 

306 

cxlvii.,  cxlviii. 

144 

„  41    .. 

,,.42    .. 

514 

515 

xxii.  7    

xxxii.  10        

337 
344 

Proverbs. 

xiii.  1     .. 

516 

xxxiv.  18       

368 

X.  26      

21 

2 

482 

xxxviii.  18    

344 

xvii.  23 

102 

''  4     .'." 

503 

xliv.  24 

490 

xxvi.  10        

239 

»  4-7 

499 

xlv.  7     

61 

xxviii.  8        

23 

;;  lo-u 

526 

517 

xlviii.  2 

1.8-15 

30 
368 

ECCLESIASTES. 

„  11 .. 

526 

Ii.  17      

368 

ix.  4      

369 

„  12,  3 

3    477 

liii.  5     

290 

Isaiah. 

„  15  .. 

461 

Iv.  17     

377 

349 

„  18  .. 

527 

Ixiii.  6   

131 

]',  22'   Z   '.'.*.   .'.'.' 

45 

„  19  .. 

492 

Ixvii.  5 

61 

„  27      

296 

„  22  .. 

528 

Ixviii.  25       

126 

„  29      

365 

„  24  .. 

...    414,475 

Ixix.  11 

377 

ii.  2       

246 

TEXTS    ILLUSTRATED. 


639 


ii.l2      ... 
„40     ... 
iii.  34     ... 
iv.  1,  2 

V.   1 

„5ff.  ... 

,,7,21... 
vi.  6       ... 

„  11, 12 
ix.  U     ... 
X.  5  if.   ... 

„  18,  33 
xi.  4       ... 

„6-9    ... 

,,11      ... 

„13      ... 

„14  ... 
xii.  20  ... 
xiii.  2,  6  S. 

„  6     ... 

„  21  ... 
xiv.  3     ... 

„    13  ... 

„  21  ... 
XV.  IG  ... 
xvi.  7,  11 
XX.  2  ... 
xxi.  1 

„    1-10 

„  2  ... 
XXV.  0,  10 
xxvi.  13... 

"..  -*•••• 
xxvii.  1  ... 
xxviii.  4... 
XXX.  12... 
„    25... 
„_  27,  23 
xxxiii.  7  ■• 
xxxiv.  1-17 
„      6... 
„      14 
„      16 
XXXV.   8... 
xsxvii.  12 
„      20 
„      33 
xxxix.  0  fF. 
xl.  1-31 
„  11    ... 
„   27,  48 
xli.  1-29 
„  2      ... 
„  8     ... 
„   25  ff. 
xlii.     ... 


TAGS 

238 

301 

311 

2y9 

9 

206 

298 

3(55 

2'jG 

152 

296 

86 

61 

3G7 

20(> 

...    230,444 

152 

296 

296 

238 

365 

372 

186 

22 

144,154,160 

158 

...       54,337 

4()4 

385 

165 

236 

77 

236 

339 

67 

296 

...  307 

...  354 

...  307 

...  149 

...  240 

...  365 

...  376 

...  512 

...  71 

...  26 

...  103 

...  296 
299,  303 

...  102 

...  298 

...  304 

...  3S7 

...  310 

...  401 

...  311 


xlii.  1     ... 

„    1-7... 

„    22  ... 

xliii.    ... 

„    4,  25 

„    14.. 

„    28... 

xliv.     . 

„    3.4 


xlv. 


6,  24    .. 

28 

1,2       '. 
1  ff.     ., 

2 

19 


xlvi. 


„    11       ... 
xlvii 

•    „    4 

„    6 

xlviii 

„      G.  12 
22 
xlix 

;;  1-9"  ::: 
„  6 

„    8 

„    U        .., 

L"J\..  :: 

li 

„    4      

„    13    

Iii , 

„    1     

„    8      

„  12,  15  .. 
liii 

„    1,4 

„    5     ..^    .. 

„  5,  6,  7,  8, 
liv 

„    11-17   .. 

„    16 

Iv 

Ivi 

„    4     

„    6     

„    7     


FAGH 

...  342 

...  313 

...  372 

...  315 

...  319 

...  30G 

...  372 

...  319 

...  307 

...  32.-) 

...  306 

...  401 

...  323 

...  397 

...  4<H 

...  266 

...  314 

...  326 
326. 398 

...  362 

...  152 

...  387 

...  328 

...  306 

...  372 

...  330 

...  304 

...  29S 

...  .333 

...  298 

...  343 

...  312 

...  342 

...  298 

...  345 

336,  337 

...  338 

...  312 

...  372 

341,  343 

...  512 

...  299 

...  343 

...  344 

...  343 
372 
343 
345 

...  346 

...  321 

...  348 

...  307 

349,  368 

...  377 

...  378 

...  377 


9,12 


FA6B 

Ivl.  9   

.   ...   350 

„  10  

.  ...  342 

Ivii 

.  ...  298 

„  5  

.  ...  365 

„  8  

.  ...   13 

,,  9  

.  ...  366 

„  15 

.  ...  368 

„  21 

.  ...  350 

Iviii 

.  ...  350 

„  3-G  .. 

.  ...  373 

„  3-12  .. 

.  ...  436 

„  4  ...  . 

.  ...  352 

lix 

.  ...  352 

„  7  if.   .. 

.  ...  379 

Ix 

.  ...  354 

.  ...  368 

;;  4  .'.'.'  ; 

.  ...  370 

„  12  ...  . 

.  ...  301 

Ixi 

.  ...  357 

„  3  

.   54,  .377 

Ixii 

.  ...  359 

„  4,5...  . 

.  ...   77 

Ixiii 

.  ...  361 

Ixiv 

.  ...  363 

„  10...  . 

.  ...  179 

„  11...  . 

.  ...  379 

Ixv 

.  ...  364 

„  3-11  . 

.  ...  379 

m 

22 

,,  /  ... 

„  6,  7   . 

'.     '.'.'.     102 

„  16...  . 

.  ...  3S0 

Ixvi 

.  ...  368 

„  2-5   . 

.  ...  377 

„  10 

.  ...  377 

„  12...  . 

.  ...  301 

„  17...  . 

.  ...  379 

„  20...  . 

.  ...  368 

Jeremiah. 

i.  5 

.  ...  333 

„  19   ...  . 

.  ...  301 

„  20   ...  . 

.  ...  299 

;;  21  ...  . 

.  ...   49 

ii.  4   ...  . 

.  ...  231 

„  6,  31  ...  . 

.  ...  314 

„  9   ...  . 

.  ...   22 

::  21  ...  . 

.   ..    9 

iii.  16  ...  . 

.  108,441 

„  18  ...  . 

.  230, 231 

„  14  ...  . 

77 

iv.  30  ...  . 

.  ...  346 

V.  11  ...  . 

231 

„  16  ...  . 

2.3/ 

vi.  13  ...  . 

.  ...  138 

„  20  ...  . 

318 

„  23  ...  . 

.  ...  237 

540 


TEXTS    ILLUSTRATED. 


PAGP, 

vii.  17,  18    ... 

...     192 

„  2a     

...       55 

„  3L     

...       33 

viii.  12 

...       94 

„    14 

...       65 

„    21 

...       54 

xi.  15     

...     425 

xiii.  17 

...     301 

XV.  4      

...       22 

xvi.  6     

159, 173 

„    7    

...       55 

xvii.  18 

...     299 

,,     21 

...     527 

xviii.  19 

...       22 

XX.  1      

...      59 

„    1,2 

...       94 

„    28  

...       86 

xxi.  1-10   ... 

...59,00 

„    1  ...1)0,94 

,  95,  117 

,    11-14... 

...       01 

„    14 

...       cSO 

xxii.  1-9   ... 

...      62 

„    30 

...     108 

xxiii.  1-8  ... 

...       63 

„    9-14... 

...       04 

„    15-29 

...       05 

„    30-40 

...       (')G 

xxiv 

...       92 

„     1 

80,  92 

„    1-3     ... 

...      07 

„    4-10  ... 

...       68 

,,    8 

...     178 

XXV.  1      

...     259 

XXV.  9,  21     ... 

...     149 

„    11 

...     401 

„    15 

...     157 

„    39-55  ... 

...       81 

xxvi.  8 

...     138 

„     16 

...       92 

„     24        ... 

...     168 

xxvii.  3 

...       94 

„     10-22  ... 

...     406 

xxviii.  2,  3    ... 

...     400 

xxix.  1  

...     299 

„     2 

...      92 

„     10 

...     401 

„     22 

...     380 

„    25 

59,  117 

„     25,  2G  ... 

...      90 

XXX.  1-3    ... 

...      69 

„    4-14  ... 

...      70 

„    10        ... 

...    310 

„    15-22 

...      71 

21 

...     108 

„     23-25  ... 

...     236 

„    23-24 

...      72 

xxxi.  1-6 

„    7-14  ...     ... 

„    10        

„    15  17 

„     15         ...     231 
„    18-22       ... 

„     19        

„    23-30       ... 
„    31-34       ... 

„    81-34  

„     31        

„     33        

„    35-37       ... 
„    38-40      ... 
xxxii.  1-5 

„       4      

„  6-15  ... 
„  7-16  ... 
„      16-25  ... 

„       18    

„       20   

„       22    

„  26-35  ... 
„  36-41  ... 
„       42-44  ... 

,,       35     

xxxiii.  1-5 

4   

„        6  9      ... 
10,11  ... 

„        11 

12-14  ... 

15,16  ... 

„        17,18... 

„        19-22... 

23-26... 

xxxiv.  1,  7     

„      2-7  

„      8-11 

„      11      

„      12-16      ... 

„       15      

„      17-22     ... 

„      18      

XXXV.  7 

,,.11     

xxxvi.  19       

XXX vii.  3        ...      5i 
„     6-15       ... 

;;  il-21  ::: 

»     17     

„      20      

,,...21      

xxxviii.  

,,      1,4 


PAGF, 

PA  on 

72 

xxxviii.  1 

...      90 

73 

„      1-3  ... 

...      94 

301 

„      1, 32 

...       94 

74 

„      4       ... 

...       90 

L,303 

„      5-13 

...       95 

75 

„       6       ... 

...     135 

38 

y,             7 

...      92 

70 

„      9       ... 

...     Ill 

77 

„      14-19 

...       97 

312 

„      14     ... 

97,  117 

441 

„      20-28 

...      98 

108 

xxxix.  1 

52, 112 

78 

„      2         ... 

...     212 

79 

!,      3        ... 

112,  2«9 

99 

„      5        ... 

...     114 

81 

„      8       ... 

...     116 

100 

„      9,  11  ... 

...     275 

102 

„     10     ... 

...     117 

102 

„      11-14 

...     118 

22 

„      15-18 

...     112 

315 

xl.,  xli.  xlii.,  xliii.       167 

30 

xl.  13     

...     174 

105 

xli.  1       

169,  171 

104 

„    5-8 

...    411 

101 

xliii.  8  13... 

...    176 

33 

xliv.  1-14... 

...     190 

105 

„    1    

...    209 

111 

„    15-19  ... 

...     192 

105 

„    20-23... 

...     193 

100 

„    24-30 

...     191 

138 

„    30 

...    207 

100 

xlvi.  2    

103,  259 

107 

„     10 

238,  240 

107 

„    13 

...     195 

107 

„    13-19... 

...      85 

108 

„    20-28 

...      86 

80 

„    27,23   ... 

...     310 

81 

xlvii.  1-7  ... 

...     1.52 

82 

xlviii.  1-8 

...     154 

83 

„        8,  21 

...      61 

83 

„       9-25 

...     156 

82 

„       26  35 

...     158 

84 

„       36-38 

...     159 

82 

„       37    .. 

...     173 

82 

„       39-47 

...     160 

143 

„       37    ... 

...     153 

92 

xlix 

...     143 

),  117 

„    1    

...     221 

91 

„    1-6      ... 

...     162 

91 

„   7    

...     149 

92 

„    7-22    ... 

...     150 

97 

„    7-22     ... 

...     292 

93 

„    23-27 

...     163 

111 

„    28-33 

...     164 

22 

„    34-39 

...     165 

59 

„    34-39    ... 

...    385 

TEXTS    ILLUSTRATED. 


541 


PAOR 

PAGE 

PAGK 

xlix.34 

...        105 

viii  7-10       

47 

XX.  4     

...      47 

1.4,20 

...     370 

xiv.  12-20 

8 

„   9-13     ... 

...       30 

,.7-17  

...     372 

ix.  9       

231 

„  12,  13-26 

...     349 

li.  5        

...     370 

X.  19      

247 

„  14-21    ... 

...       31 

„  8,  30,  31  ... 

...     398 

xi.  1,23         

247 

„   22-26 

...       32 

» 40      

...     398 

„  3-7 

52 

„   27-38 

...       33 

„  43      

...    4;w 

„  7-11         

52 

„    30    

...     331 

„  58     

...     266 

,.  15     

231 

„  39^4  ... 

...       34 

lii.  4      ...     52 

112,  436 

xii.  13    

81 

„   45-49  ... 

...       36 

„  6      

111,  112 

„  23-28   

1 

xxi.  1-13    .. 

...      37 

„  6,  7 

...     436 

xiii.  1-5     

2 

„    14-17  .. 

...      38 

„  7       

...     113 

»     5         

238 

„    18  23 

...       39 

„  8      

...     114 

„     6-16 

3 

„    21 

...      58 

„   10    

113,116 

„     17-19      ... 

4 

;,  24 

...     350 

„   11    

81,  372 

„     20-23      ... 

5 

„    24-27 

...       40 

„   12    

212,  436 

xiv.  1-5     

6 

„    28-32 

...       41 

„   14    

...     116 

„    6-8    

6 

xxii.  1-5    ... 

...       43 

,,   15    

...     275 

„    9-11 

7 

„    6-16  .. 

...       44 

„   10,17-23 

...    117 

„    12-23       ... 

8 

„     17-31 

...       45 

„   24    

59,  117 

,,     12        

294 

„     26      ... 

...     250 

„  24-27      ... 

...     118 

„     21        

55 

„      40      ... 

...     231 

„   28     

...     110 

xiv.  22-26 

32 

xxiii.  1-10 

...      47 

„   28-30      ... 

...     118 

„   27-38 

33 

„     11-18 

...      48 

„  30     

179,  213 

XV.  1-8      

9 

„     19  27 

...      49 

„   31-34      ... 

...     209 

xvi 

47 

„     28-39 

...      50 

„   31    

...     115 

„  1-5 

10 

„     40-44 

...       51 

L.VMENTATIOXS. 

,,6  14      

„  8      

11 
17 

„     45-49 

xxiv.  1.  2       ... 

...      52 

...      88 

i 

...     125 

„  15-19    

12 

„    1-14  ... 

...      53 

„4            

...     119 

„  20  25   

12 

„    15-20 

...      54 

,,12-18 

...     344 

„  26-34 

13 

„    21-24 

...      55 

ii 

...     128 

„  26    

47 

„    25-27 

...       56 

„  8,  9 

...     119 

„  27-57      

152 

XXV 

57,  196 

„  19     

...     130 

„  35-43   

14 

„    1-7      ... 

...     161 

iii 

...     132 

„  44-52  

15 

„    3,  8,  12,  15 

...     142 

iv 

...     136 

„  53-57   

16 

„     8-14      ... 

...     292 

„   JO   

97,  111 

,,  53    

231 

12-14... 

...     152 

,,   12-15      ... 

...     Ill 

„  58-63 

17 

;,    15-17... 

...     154 

,,   21    

143,  221 

xvii 

39 

xxvi 

...       57 

„   21,  22     ... 

...     292 

„    1    

27 

„   1-6      ... 

...     179 

V 

...     140 

„  1-10    

18 

„    2   

...     142 

„  7      

...      22 

„   11-21  

19 

„    7-14   ... 

...     180 

„  18     

...     119 

„    17 

103 

„    15-18... 

...     181 

»20     

...     490 

„   22-24 

20 

„    19-21... 

...     182 

EZEKIEL. 

xviii.1-17 

„     2        

23 
76 

xxvii.  1-25 

„       30     .. 

...  183 
...     380 

i.  8,  11,  14,  10 

...    378 

„     18      

23 

xxviii.  2-10 

...     184 

iii.  15     

...      71 

„     18-24     ... 

24 

„       3    ... 

...     294 

„  26    

...     212 

„     24,  26.  27... 

217 

„       10... 

..     238 

iv.  4,  5 

...     231 

„     25-32     ... 

25 

„       11-19 

..     185 

M  7      

...     342 

xix.1-7     

26 

^  „       20  26 

..     187 

„  12-15       ... 

...     380 

„     5 

73 

xxix 

..     237 

„  20     

...     278 

„    8,0    

27 

„    1-12    ... 

..      87 

V.  10      

...     Ill 

„     9 

115 

„    1-16      ... 

..     195 

vii.  21    

...    221 

„    10-14       ... 

2S 

„    3    

..     339 

viii.  1-3    ... 

...     24G 

XX.  1-8       

29 

„    4   

..      26 

542 


TEXTS    ILLUSTRATED. 


PAGE 
...         88 

...  188 
...  201 
201,202 
...  207 
...  205 
...  88 
...  88 
...  195 
89,  195 
...     196 


14,  15 
17-32 

17  ... 
24-33 
30    ... 


xxxiii. 


xxix.  13-16. 

,,    17,  20  .. 

„    17-21. 

XXX.  1-10  .. 

M       6      

„    15 

„    20  ...     . 

„    20-26 

„    20-26    . 

xxxi.1-18. 

xxxii.  1-16 

..      3      339 

2G7 
198 
238 
214 
195 
215 
216 
298 
217 
212 
214 
380 
234 
218 

258 

23...  70,231, 233 
XXXV.  1-15      149,  221 

»         223 

xxxvi.  1-37     ...    223 

„     22,32 314 

xxxvii.3-14   ...    227 

11...    231,298 

„       16-28       232 

„       24... 

25... 

xxxviii.  1-23 

xxxix.  1 


„    2-11... 

„  10  ... 
„  12-20 
„  21 
„  24-33 
„  27  ... 
xxxiv. 
„      1-31 


17  ...    . 

„      25    ...     , 

xl.  1       

„2      

xli.  24 

xlii.  13 

,.   19,20     ... 
xliii.  7,  8  ... 

„     10,  11,  IS 
xliv.  10,  15   ...     , 

„    17,  18  ... 

„    18 

„    20,  21  ... 

„    22,  23,  24 

„    29-31    ... 
Xlv 


70 
310 

234 
237 
238 
231 
245 
244 
349 
246 
243 
247 
247 
249 
249 
55 
249 
250 
250 
251 
251 


xlv.  4     ... 
„  8    ... 

„  9  ... 
„  13-17 
„  18  ... 

xlv.  21,  22 

„   21-25 

„    23,24 

xlvi.    ... 

„    6  ... 

„     13,14 

„     18 

„    20... 
xlvii.  ... 

„    13... 

„    14... 

„    18... 

„    20... 
xlviii.... 

»    9... 

„    30 

„    35 
xlix.  6-9 


PAGE 

...  250 

...  244 

...  251 

...  251 

244,  252 

...  251 

...  252 

...  252 

...  252 

...  252 

...  2.53 

...  244 

...  219 

...  254 

...  231 

...  244 

...  239 

...  254 

...  254 

...  253 

...  255 

...  63 

...  248 


i.  1. 


„  5-16  .. 

„6 

„  10  .. 
„ll  .. 
„  17  .. 
„  20  .. 
ii.  1 

,,  .J 

„4        .. 

,,4,12.. 

„14     .. 

„15      .. 

„27     .. 

„31      .. 

.,  46, 49 
iii. 

„  3,  27 
„  25  .. 
iv 

„  30      .. 

„  34,  37 
V 

„3 

„4        .. 

„19      .. 

„29  .. 
vi.  26-28 

,.7      .. 

» 11     .. 


Daniel. 

259, 260 

259,  200 

380 

401 

276 

263 

262 

...   273,274,277 

275 

274 

275 

263 

274, 275 

278 


274 

277 
278 
278 
273 
283 
284 
270 
284 
395 
406 
396 
276 
278 
397 
276 
377 


vi.  14-17 

vii.  13  .., 

viii.  9  ... 

ix.  24  ... 

X.  13  .. 
xii.  1 

»   2  .. 


HOSEA. 


i.9... 

»11 
ii.  11 
iii.  2 

„  5 
vi.  4 
vii.  4 
ix.  4 

.,  10 
x.l 
xiii.  15 


PAGE 

276 
383 
30 
331 
383 
383 
^  383 


...  299 
...  230 
...  30 
...  468 
70,  230 
.:;  322 
...  6,  94 
...  55 
...       67 


464 


Joel.  " 


i.8        '.. 

..  337 

ii.  11     

.    238 

„  15     

.    436 

„  28     

.      6Q 

iii.          

.    241 

„  17    

.     512 

iv 

.     241 

„  2,  11        

.     236 

„  4       

.     152 

Amos. 

i.  4, 14 ...  -  ..r  .. 

.     164 

„  6        

.     152 

„  11      

.     149 

„  13-15        

.     162 

ii.  1-3    ...      ;..    T 

.     160 

„  8      

.      23 

v.  18      . 

.    238 

vi.  1       . 

.      73 

viii.  1-3         ...     . 

.      67 

„    5     . 

.      30 

ix.  11     . 

.     230 

Obadiah. 

1-21     ...     ...    145, 149 

8            ......     . 

.     144 

11-13     ...    145)145,149 

19          

..     152 

11,12    

.     292 

Micah. 

i.  11       

.    471 

ii.  12, 13       :.;     . 

..    230 

iii.  7      ...     .,.     . 

..      54 

TEXTS   ILLUSTRATED. 


543 


iii.U     

PAOB 

55 

vii.  14 

PAGE 
.           30 

vi 

PAGE 

382 

iv.  1       

...     24G 

viii.1-17  ...    . 

..     438 

„  4       

396 

„  10     

...     2% 

„      18-23 

.     439 

Song    of    the  T 

Children. 

14,15    

»  13     

...     307 

„      19...      52,  3 

51,  436 

iiree 

V.  2       

vii.  1      

...     230 
...      67 

ix.  1-8       ...     . 

„  5      

..     462 
.     152 

383 

Naiium- 

„?10     ...     . 

.     4G3 

I  Maccabees 

. 

i.  15       

iii.  12     

...    512 

„  11-17     ...     . 

..     463 

i.  22,  iv.  51 

440 

„  16     

..     136 

„  23,  iv.  49 

441 

...      67 

X 

.     464 

„38       

441 

Zephaniah. 

xi 

..     466 

iv.  29     

410 

ii.  5       

152,  154 

xii 

.     469 

„  38-43       

412 

,,8-10 

...     IGO 

xiii 

.     470 

»44     

441 

„    7 

.     471 

v.  3        

410 

Haggai. 

xiv 

.     471 

vi.51      

441 

i.  2-3 

...    423 

„    10 

79.92 

X.  84     

414 

„i      

...     436 

„    21 

.     512 

2  Maccabees 

„  4-11       ... 

iile:::  ::: 

"^   

;;  11-19  .. 

„7       ...    428 

...     423 
...     423 
...     424 
...     421 
...     427 
...     425 
434,  461 

Malachi. 

i 

„  3       

„  6,  9,  10     

ii 

„6        

.     518 
.     149 
.    517 
.     520 
.       61 

i.  18.  19       

■  ii.  1-8    

n  5         

vl3 

viii.  1-4        

XV.  14,  15      

530 
211 
440 
530 
120 
211 

,,21-23     ... 

...     426 

„  10-14       

.    517 

Matthew. 

Zechartah. 

„  11      

77 

iii.  17    

311 

iii 

.     523 

iv.  5       

331 

i.  1        

,.2-6   

„l-7    

...     427 
...     427 
421,  422 

„1       

„  5      

„  IG    

.     518 
.     518 
.    377 

viii.  17 

xi.  10     

xii.  18    

343 
525 
311 

»7       

...     427 

iv 

.     525 

„  18  if.        

342 

»|»io 

...     307 

V.  5 

312 

xvi.  14 

211 

„  8-17       ... 

...     428 

xvii.  5    

311 

„11      

...     434 

1  ESDRAS. 

„  11    

525 

„14      

...     238 

ii.  12-15        

.    378 

„  24 

511 

„  18-21     ... 

...     42i) 

V.  2        

.    4u9 

xviii.  25         

336 

ii.  1-13      ... 

...     429 

„  6       

410 

xix.  20 

311 

„  3       

...    4:iu 

„  12     

485 

XX.  67     

337 

„  4       

421,  493 

„  36-40       

408 

xxiii.  39 

210 

„  15      

...     292 

„  41     

406 

xxiv.  41 

328 

iii.  1-10     ... 

...     430 

„  50     

416 

xxvii.  9,  10 

468 

„  9      

...     432 

„  59     

417 

xxvii.  25        

22 

iv.  1-5 

...     4^1 

viii.  33 

486 

„    30 

337 

„  6-14      ... 

...     432 

„    39 

1.''8 

v.l^ 

...     432 

2  EsDRAS. 

„    53 

331 

„  5-11 

...     433 

xiv.  31 

912 

Mark. 

vi.1-8 

...     433 

„  12,  13    ... 

...     435 

TOBIT. 

vi.  23     

455 

„  15    

...     435 

iv.  3-20 

383 

ix.  11     

525 

vii.  1     

...     427 

Luke. 

„  1,5,  19    ... 

...    377 

ECCLF.SIASTICUS.           | 

i.  16,17 

525 

„  2{r. 

...    351 

i.3        

441 

iv.  18     

357 

„  1-8 

...    435 

xlix.  11-13   

557 

vi.  38     

102 

'i   

»»  '       

...     171 
...    414 

Baruch. 

vii.  27    

xi.  5       

525 
94 

„  9-14      .„ 

...    437 

ii.  3       

111 

„47     

210 

544 


TEXTS    ILLUSTRATED. 


XV 

1.22 

363 

») 

24 



.     338 

XV 

li.  35 

.     328 

xxii.  37 

.     343 

John. 

ix 

2 

.       22 

xi. 

25 



.     312 

xi] 

.38 

Acts. 

.     343 

iv 

37 

.     100 

> 

40 

.     337 

V. 

32 



.     313 

vi 

.42 



.      32 

xiii.  47 



.     312 

xvi.  13 



.     377 

EOMANS. 

i 

24 

.      32 

ii. 

28, 29       

.     241 

PAGE 

Hebrews. 

ix.6       

241 

PAGE 

X.  16      

34:i 

iv.  12    

.     333 

XV.  21 

343 

xi.  32     

8 

xii.  12-26     ...     . 

..    421 

1  Corinthians 

. 

V.  1        

44 

1  Peter. 

Galatians. 

i.  11       

ii.  22      

..  ]89 
..     343 

i.  15      

333 

„24     

..     343 

Ephesians. 

Revelation. 

i.  6 

311 

v.  14      

211 

i.  16      

..    333 

vi.  17    • 

333 

vi.  12     

..    337 

viii.  3     

..    377 

Philippians. 

xi.  19     

..     440 

ii.  7       

311 

xix.  15 

xxi.  2-10       ...     . 

..  333 
..     255 

2  Thessalonians. 

„  12    

„  16    

..  255 
..     255 

ii.  11     

32 

xxii.  2    

..    254 

A    GREAT    WORK 


Tie  Natural  Law  in  tie  Spiritual  World. 

By  Henry  Drummond,  F.R.S.E.,  F.G.S. 

Cheaper  Edition,  438  Pages.     Price,  $1.50. 


CONTENTS  : 

PREFACE,  MORTIFICATION, 

INTRODUCTION,  ETERNAL  LIFE, 

BIOGENESIS,  ENVIRONMENT, 

DEGENERATION.  CONFORMITY  TO  TYPE, 

GROWTH,  SEMI-PARASITISM, 

DEATH,  PARASITISM, 
CLASSIFICATION. 


"  I  report,  as  a  man  may  of  God's  work. — All 's  Love^ 
yet  all's  Law.'' 

"  No  man  who  knows  the  splendor  of  scientific  achieve- 
ment or  cares  for  it,  no  man  who  feels  the  solidity  of  its  method 
or  works  with  it,  can  remain  neutral  with  regard  to  religion. 
He  must  extend  his  method  into  it  or,  if  that  is  impossible, 
oppose  it  to  the  knife." — Preface. 


FROM    THE    PRESS. 


"  We  will  begin  our  notice  of  tliis  most  remarkable  book  by  saying  that  every  one  who 
is  interested  in  religious  questions  should  read  and  study  w^— London  Church  Quarterly 
Review. 

"  Its  originality  will  make  it  almost  a  revelation," — Christian  f/'w/Vw,  January  10. 

"This  is  one  of  the  most  impressive  and  suggestive  books  on  religion  that  we  have 
read  for  a  long  time." — London  Spectator. 

"If  you  read  only  one  book  this  year  let  it  be  'Natural  Law  in  the  Spiritual  World.'" 
— American  Institute  0/  Christian  Philosophy. 

"This  is  one  of  those  rare  books  which,  treating  upon  familiar  subjects,  find  a  new 
point  of  view  from  v^'hich  old  things  themselves  become  new." — Chicago  Standard. 

''  Grand  reading  for  the  clergy." — Bishop  Coxe,  Buffalo. 

"A  great  work." — Bishop  Doanc,  Albany. 

"  In  Drnmmond's  book  we  have  none  of  the  nonsense  of  the  new  theology,  but  the  old 
theology  splendidly  illuminated  by  the  'Drummond  light'  of  the  newest  scientific  knowl- 
edge."— Dr.  Henson,  Chicago. 

"  Fresh,  clear  and  suggestive.  Just  the  book  for  every  minister  and  intelligent  Chris- 
tian."—Z?r.  Haigh.^  Chicago. 


JAMES   POTT  &  CO.,  PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK. 


"  But  however  nobly  it  has  held  its  ground,  Theology  must 
feel  to-day  that  the  modern  world  calls  for  a  further  proof. " 

A  STUDY  OF  ORIGINS; 

OR. 

THE   PROBLEMS   OF  KNOWLEDGE   OF   BEING, 
AND   OF   DUTY. 

By  E.  de  PRESSENSE,  D.D., 

Author  of  "  Early  Years  of  Christianity,"  etc.     8vo,  cloth.     513  pages. 
Third  and  Cheaper  Edition,  $1.50. 

The  aim  of  this  work  is  to  dispel  the  fatal  misconception 
that  science  and  conscience,  liberty  and  religion  are  incom- 
patible. 

CONTENTS. 


BOOK  FIRST— The  Problem  of  Knowledge, 
Chap.    I.  Knowledge  and  Positivism. 
Chap.  II.  The  Problem  of  Knowledge  and 
the  new  Psychology. 


Chap.  III.  The  Problem  of  Knowledge  and 
the  Critical  School. 

Chap.  IV.  The  True  Solution  of  the  Prob- 
lem of  Knowledge. 


BOOK  SECOND— The  Problem  of  Being. 

Chap.    I.  Origin  of  the  Cosmos,  I  Chap.  III.  Energy. 

Chap.  II.  Causation.  Chap.  IV.  The  Doctrine  of  Evolution. 


BOOK  THIRD— Problem  of  the  Being  of  Men. 

Chap.    I.  Two-fold  Nature  of  Man.  I  Chap.  III.  Man  and  the  Brutes. 

Chap.  II.  Revelations — Physical  and  Moral.  |  Chap.  IV.  Human  and  Animal  Society. 


BOOK  FOURTH— Problem  of  Duty. 

Chap.    I.  Principle  and  Origin  of  Morality.  I  Chap.  III.  Religion — Its  Nature  and  Origin. 
Chap.  II.  The  Ideal— Art.  ]  Chap.  IV.  The  Savage  and  Primeval  Man. 


"  Dr.  Pressense  has  proved  himself,  in  penetration,  his  logical  acumen — all  have 

this  great  work,  a  veritable  champion  of  here  combitied  to  place  the  positive  and  self - 

the  faith;  and  his  book  will  be  regarded  as  covfident  theories  and  assumptions  of  phi- 

a  treasure  by  all  who  are  seeking  for  such  losophers  and  their  confreres  in  a  position 

assistance  as  it  is  so  well  calculated   to  of  collapse." — Ecclesiastical  Gazette. 
afford.    His  power  of  argument,  his  keen 


JAMES  POTT  &  CO.,  PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK. 


